You post a photo of your morning coffee or that suspiciously perfect sunset. Ten minutes later, you’re checking the view count. We all do it. You see your best friend, your cousin, and that person you haven’t talked to since high school. But then, right at the bottom, there’s that greyed-out, cryptic label: "Others." It feels a little like someone is watching you through a cracked door. Honestly, it’s one of the most annoying parts of the Facebook interface because it doesn’t give you a name. You just get a number. One other. Five others. Ten others.
Who are these people? Are they stalking you? Is it a glitch? Let’s break down exactly what that "Others" count actually represents in 2026.
What Does Others Mean on Facebook Story?
Basically, "Others" are people who have viewed your story but aren't on your Facebook friends list.
If your story privacy is set to Public, anyone on Facebook or Messenger can potentially stumble across your story. They might see it in their feed if they follow you, or they might have tapped on your profile and clicked your profile picture. Because they aren't your "Friends," Facebook protects their privacy by not showing you their names.
It’s a two-way street of anonymity. They can see your content, but you can’t see their identity.
Why you see them even if you aren't "Famous"
You don't need to be an influencer to get "Other" views. If you've ever toggled your privacy settings to let the world see your posts, you've opened the door. Common culprits include:
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- Followers: People who hit "Follow" on your profile but you never added back as friends.
- Messenger Connections: People you've chatted with on Messenger but never officially added on the main Facebook platform.
- Random Surfers: If your profile is public, someone might have just clicked your name from a comment section in a public group.
The Secret "Custom" Hack to See Who They Are
There has been a lot of talk in tech circles—and specifically on Reddit threads lately—about a "loophole" to identify these mystery viewers. People are desperate to know if an ex or a former boss is keeping tabs.
While Facebook doesn't officially allow it, there is a weird trick involving the "Custom" privacy setting that sometimes reveals these names.
- Open your Facebook app and go to your Settings.
- Scroll down to Audience and Visibility and tap Stories.
- Tap Story Privacy.
- Change it to Custom.
- This will bring up your friends list. Now, here is the kicker: swipe left.
On many versions of the app, swiping left on this screen reveals a list of people who are not your friends but have interacted with or viewed your content recently. It’s not a 100% guarantee, and Meta (Facebook’s parent company) occasionally patches this, but it’s the closest thing to a "Reveal" button we have.
The "Professional Mode" Shift
In 2026, Facebook has pushed Professional Mode hard. If you’ve turned this on to try and make some money from your reels or posts, the way "Others" works changes slightly.
Professional accounts get deeper analytics. While you still might see an "Others" category for the sake of privacy laws in certain regions (like the EU), you’ll often see more detailed demographics. You might see that 40% of your "Others" are from New York or that they fall into the 25-34 age bracket.
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It’s less about "who is this specific person" and more about "who is my audience."
Myths About Facebook Story Viewers
Let's clear some things up because there is a lot of misinformation floating around TikTok.
"If they show up as an 'Other,' they’ve viewed my profile 10 times." No. Facebook doesn't rank "Others" by how many times they've looked at you. It’s just a raw count of unique viewers who aren't your friends.
"I can use a third-party app to see the names." Don't do this. Seriously. Any app or website claiming they can "Unmask Facebook Story Others" is almost certainly a scam designed to steal your login credentials. Facebook’s API is locked down tight. If Facebook doesn't show you the name, no random app from the Play Store can either.
"Others means they blocked me."
Actually, if someone blocks you, they disappear from your view list entirely. They won't even count as an "Other." If you see a number there, that person currently has an active account and can still see your public content.
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How to Get Rid of the "Others" Label
If the mystery is driving you crazy, the solution is actually pretty simple. You have to close the door.
Go into your Story Privacy settings and switch from Public to Friends Only.
The moment you do this, the "Others" category will eventually vanish from future stories. Only people you have manually "Confirmed" as friends will be able to see your updates. It’s the only way to ensure that every single view has a name and a face attached to it.
Keep in mind, though, that if you’re trying to grow a brand or become a creator, "Friends Only" is a death sentence for your reach. You need those "Others" to eventually become followers.
Actionable Steps for Your Privacy
- Check your Followers list: Go to your profile and see who is following you. These are the most likely candidates for your "Other" views.
- Audit your Public posts: If you don't want strangers seeing your life, make sure your default post privacy isn't set to "Public."
- Use the "Hide Story From" feature: If there’s one specific person you’re worried about, you don't have to go private. You can keep your story public but block that one individual from seeing it.
At the end of the day, "Others" is just Facebook's way of balancing your desire for a broad audience with their legal requirement to protect user privacy. It's a bit of a ghost story, sure, but usually, it's just someone you once met at a party or a friend-of-a-friend whose algorithm decided to show them your life.
To take full control of your visibility, go to Settings > Audience and Visibility > Stories and manually select Friends to eliminate anonymous tracking immediately. Then, review your Followers list under your profile's About section to see exactly who has access to your public updates.