How to find out who your partner is thirsting over on Instagram – and why you might not want to

Jana Hocking has revealed a simple phone hack to help you catch your partner committing one common, all-too-aggravating act.

Last year, I was dating a guy who was undeniably charming.

He knew how to woo a gal, and woo he did. His deep voice, cheeky grin and larger-than-life personality made me fall for him hook, line, and sinker.

But there was one annoying habit that made me slightly bonkers.

He had a tendency to like every sexy woman’s Instagram photos, often leaving comments like, “Looking good, girl!”

We had a lot of mutual friends, so I couldn’t help but notice his name and comments under almost every picture of my hot friends. I occasionally brought it up, and he’d insist he was just a friendly guy who liked “everyone’s” photos.

But your honour, I beg to differ. He was definitely more selective about whose posts he liked. Selective in the “only hot women” kinda way.

As time went on, my frustration grew hotter than a furnace. I could feel my anger at his blatant disrespect for my feelings build up.

So one night after three martinis (never a good idea) I exploded. I told him how his behaviour made me feel unworthy, insecure and embarrassed. Was it the best time to have that conversation? No. Did it come out all wrong? Absolutely yes. But the damage was done. We ended up breaking up and didn’t speak for six months.

The silver lining? He stopped his Instagram antics, but I’m ashamed to admit it was probably because my words had embarrassed him.

When I later stumbled upon a sneaky hack to see who your partner is stalking on Instagram, I felt a sense of dread.

It’s one thing to see it with your own eyes, but actively looking for it? That’s a different ball game.

Use this hack at your own risk. Picture: iStock

Here’s how you can do it if you have your partner’s phone password.

Side note – if he’s not willing to share his password, you might try a trick that one of my friends used: Act like you’re on your phone while he enters his password, but discreetly film him. Later, you can review the footage to figure out the digits. It’s evil, but she swears it worked.

Anyway, enough Jana! Stop telling your innocent readers how to hack into their partners’ phones.

I digress, back to the topic. How to hack into their Instagram likes:

1. Open their Instagram profile.

2. Tap the three horizontal lines on the top right.

3. Select ‘Your Activity’, then choose ‘Likes’.

This will show you every single photo they’ve liked. If you find a pattern of hot, bikini-clad models, well, your man is thirsty.

‘But here’s the real question: Do you really want to know?’. Picture: Instagram/@jana_hocking

You can also check the ‘Comments’ section to see where they’ve left remarks.

But here’s the real question: Do you really want to know? From experience, I can say that it’s painful to see your partner showing interest in other women, especially if an ex or a so-called “good friend” pops up in their likes.

Moreover, context matters. For example, I tested it out on my own phone and up came multiple likes I had given men. One was a friend who completed his first marathon, another was an old boss who shared a pic of him skiing with his young son, and another was a male friend who was spruiking a recent podcast appearance.

I gave these gents a like because I was chuffed for them, not because I wanted to see them naked. But if my partner was to take a sneaky peak, I could see why they might see things differently.

Misinterpretation is easy, and what might seem innocent could be seen as flirtatious by a jealous partner.

So here’s my advice: Avoid this hack. It’s likely to lead to more fights and insecurity than peace of mind. Plus you’ve got to (annoyingly) consider the consequences.

If he finds out you’re a naughty little snooper, there’s a fair chance he’ll get the ick – and getting dumped because you misinterpreted something is never ideal.

So, I say we all throw our phones in a lake and get on with our lives. Just after I finish Wordle and share a pic of my dinner to Insta. You know, priorities.

Jana Hocking is a columnist and collector of kind-of-boyfriends | @jana_hocking

Originally published as How to find out who your partner is thirsting over on Instagram – and why you might not want to