Ex Stalks My Snapchat Stories

Why does your ex watch all your Snapchat stories?

Your ex may watch all your Snapchat stories simply because it’s normal. In the social media age, many people you may not be in touch with can watch your Snapchat stories and other updates on social media, sometimes without actively searching for you.

Provided they haven’t blocked you (or you’ve blocked him), your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend can still see your stories on Snapchat and other social media platforms. Your privacy settings help determine who can see your stories, and often, default privacy settings allow anyone following you to see your stories.

Why is your ex stalking you? They could be just going through a normal phase after the breakup, but it could also mean something more. Keep reading to find out how you can tell one from the other.

When it is just a passing interest

After a breakup, it can be difficult to cut off contact completely, especially if you were in a long-term relationship. And thanks to social media, you can see what your ex is up to without making the move to get in touch with them.

Often, an ex stalks your Snapchat stories simply because they haven’t yet gotten over you. But it doesn’t necessarily mean they want to get back together. Your ex still views your Snapchat stories to feel connected to you or to alleviate any anxiety about what you may be doing without them or whether you’ve moved on.

These reasons are generally no cause for alarm, especially if your ex is not messaging you or has access to your accounts. “Stalking” an ex on social media is a normal part of the post-breakup process, even if it may not be the healthiest way to cope.

Let’s explore why your ex still views all your Snapchat stories, even though they are not contacting you.

Curiosity

An ex may be stalking your Snapchat stories on social media because they just want to know what you’re up to, perhaps out of habit, but they don’t want to contact you because that could send the wrong message. Being curious about an ex is natural, especially in the early stages of a breakup.

Intimacy Withdrawal

Also, after a breakup, it’s common to go through intimacy withdrawal. After months or years of constant contact, it can be hard to completely cut off someone who was such a big part of your life. While your ex may be reluctant to contact you, following your updates on social media can recreate that sense of intimacy between you that is now lost. As with curiosity, the need for a sense of intimacy with an ex usually fades with time.

A sense of control

If you’re the one who initiated the breakup, your ex may be viewing your Snapchat stories for a sense of control. They may feel more control over the situation by consuming more information about you. If they don’t know why you broke up with them, your ex may be searching for answers in what you share online.

Anxiety

An ex can stalk your Snapchat stories out of anxiety and fear: anxiety that you’re happier without them, fear that you’ve already moved on to someone else. Watching your Snapchat stories can alleviate some of that anxiety, as their gnawing questions may be answered without having to contact you directly.

Competition

A sense of competition may be why your ex watches your Snapchat stories. Especially if there is any bitterness as a result of the breakup, your ex may want to see your social media updates to determine who is happier, who has moved on first, and who is doing better. While this is not a healthy way to deal with a bitter breakup, it doesn’t mean much if your ex doesn’t try to contact you directly.

When it means something

While an ex viewing your Snapchat stories is normal, there is a point where it crosses into obsession. If an ex is watching all of your stories, they’re probably actively seeking your profile to see what you’ve been up to. It’s a sign that they’re thinking about you constantly, so much that they’re taking action to stalk your profile regularly—it’s not just a brief moment of weakness.

Whether this obsession is positive or negative for you depends on the nature of your relationship and the circumstances surrounding the breakup.

If your ex is still watching all your Snapchat stories, it may mean that:

They are still in love with you

Even if your ex initiated the breakup, it can still be hard for that love to fade, and their feelings keep leading them back to you. Your ex may want to get back in touch but feels too anxious or shy due to the breakup.

They’re breadcrumbing

A more alarming reason your ex may be stalking your Snapchat is that they’re breadcrumbing you. Knowing that you can see who viewed your stories on Snapchat and Instagram, your ex may be deliberately watching your stories to try and get you to contact them. This is a manipulative tactic so that you make the first move and look more confused or desperate.

Considering the difficulty in knowing exactly why your ex still views all your stories, the best thing to do is to not contact them if you are determined to move on from the relationship.

And just because you can’t see who viewed your posts on other social media platforms doesn’t mean your ex isn’t stalking you elsewhere as well—in fact, if your ex is watching all your Snapchat stories, they probably are stalking your other social media accounts.

If your ex still has you on WhatsApp, they’re, at the very least, still interested in keeping in touch with you. Whether their intentions are good or bad will be influenced by the nature of your relationship and the circumstances of the breakup.

Of course, it also means something if your ex reacts to your stories or messages. These are sure signs that they want to get back in touch, and it’s up to you whether you want to indulge this desire or block them completely.

How often can an ex watch your Snapchat stories?

People usually watch their ex’s Snapchat stories sporadically, when they’re bored or when they may have Snapchat open. Most do not open Snapchat every time their ex posts a story. If they are watching every story, that’s a sign of obsession.

If you want more control over who can see your stories, taking control of your Privacy settings is a good first step.

How to use your Snapchat after a breakup

If you’ve recently broken up with your ex, you can still use Snapchat and other social media without being too afraid of stalking. Here’s how to use Snapchat to avoid your ex after a breakup:

Ignore messages from your ex

If your ex sends you a message, no matter how emotional or pleading it may sound, don’t reply. Easier said than done, of course, but if you’re sure you don’t want to get back together, continuing no contact is the best way forward.

Selectively post stories

Don’t post stories about every little thing that happens in your life, especially if they may reveal something about your personal life. A jealous ex might start harassing you if you share any photos where you’re with someone else.

Adjust privacy settings

You can stop cyberstalking by adjusting your privacy settings so your ex can’t see all your stories. Called Privacy Controls in Snapchat, you can clear your data, choose who can see your location, who can contact you, if others can see when you have last been active on Snapchat, block users, and more.

To prevent others from seeing your location through Snapchat:

1. Go to your profile and tap the Gear icon to enter Settings.
2. In Settings, go to Privacy Controls > See My Location.
3. Make sure that Ghost Mode and Hide My Live Location are turned on.

With options such as See Me in Quick Add and Activity Indicator, simply select them in Privacy Controls and toggle them Off.

Check your phone for spyware

You should check your phone for spyware, just in case your ex downloaded it onto your devices without your knowledge in order to keep tabs on you. You can tell if your phone has downloaded spyware if your web browser, autocorrect, or other normal phone functions behave strangely.

Use Anti-spying software

You can also use anti-spying software to ensure your accounts are secure and that no one’s spying on you. Here’s how you can set up more robust anti-spying features on your phone with Clario Anti Spy:

1. Download Clario Anti Spy and get a subscription.
2. Select Anti-spy setup in the main menu.
3. Select Protect Social Media Accounts.
4. Select Review Snapchat.
5. Follow our tips for making your Snapchat account more secure. Steps include setting up two-factor authentication, verifying your email address, and setting up Ghost Mode.
6. Once you’ve gone through all the steps, tap Done, and voila, your Snapchat account is more secure!

Block your ex

If your ex keeps popping up in your inbox, you might have to block them on Snapchat, and wherever else you may be connected. This is one way to guarantee they can’t contact you from their account.

There are two ways to block someone on Snapchat, but both start on the Chat screen (the speech bubble icon at the bottom).

1. Tap and hold your ex’s name.
2. Select Manage Friendship.
3. Tap Block, and your ex will disappear from your Friends list.

You can also:

1. Briefly tap on your ex’s avatar to open the Chat.
2. Tap their profile icon at the top.
3. Tap the three dots at the top, then tap Manage Friendship.
4. Tap Block and confirm that you want to block this person, and they’ll be moved to your Blocked list.

In Privacy Controls, you can modify who can contact you on Snapchat and who can view your story.

To change who can view your story on Snapchat:

1. In Privacy Controls, tap View my story.
2. Select Custom.
3. Here, you can select specific individuals to block you from viewing your stories. Just tap their profiles and select Block once you’ve made your choices.
4. Or, if your ex is not among your Friends on Snapchat, keep it on My Friends. That will completely lock them out of seeing your stories unless they have any friends among your friends.

Conclusion

While we call it stalking, viewing someone’s stories on social media is now a normal part of the post-breakup process. What you need to watch out for is signs of obsession and harassment: viewing all of your stories and sending you messages constantly without reply.

Whether it’s a jealous ex or an unknown hacker, you want to protect your online privacy from stalking and harassment. Clario Anti Spy helps you bolster your privacy with a step-by-step checklist to set up anti-spying protection and scan for spyware that may be downloaded onto your device. The step-by-step process makes it easy and takes only a few minutes, so protect your privacy today with Clario Anti Spy!