Question 1

What is Watcholy?

Accepted Answer

Watcholy is an Instagram Stories tool with two modes. You can view Stories from any public Instagram account manually, and you can pick favorite accounts for Watcholy to watch automatically in the background — saving every new Story before it disappears.

Question 2

What exactly does Watcholy do?

Accepted Answer

It views Stories from public accounts on demand, watches the accounts you choose on a schedule, saves every new Story to your archive, reveals hidden tags and mentions where supported, lets you download Story media, and can email you when something new is captured.

Question 3

Do I need to log into Instagram?

Accepted Answer

No. You never connect an Instagram account and you never give Watcholy a password. Everything runs on information that is already public.

Question 4

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

Start your 3-day free trial, add a public username, and Watcholy begins watching it right away. You can look up any other public account manually at the same time.

Question 5

How does manual viewing work?

Accepted Answer

Enter a public Instagram username and Watcholy pulls up that account's live Stories. It does not use one of your watched-account slots.

Question 6

Is manual viewing limited?

Accepted Answer

Manual viewing is included on both plans. Fair-use and anti-abuse limits apply so the service stays fast for everyone.

Question 7

Does the account know I viewed their Story?

Accepted Answer

No. Watcholy doesn't view Stories from your Instagram account, so you don't appear in an account's Story viewer list.

Question 8

Can I download what I view?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Story media can be downloaded at original quality from your dashboard.

Question 9

What does Watching do?

Accepted Answer

Watcholy checks each watched account on a schedule in the background and automatically saves any new Story it finds — no manual checking needed.

Question 10

How many accounts can I watch?

Accepted Answer

Weekly watches up to 3 accounts and checks every 2 hours. Monthly watches up to 5 accounts and checks every hour. You can swap accounts anytime within your limit.

Question 11

How long are saved Stories kept?

Accepted Answer

Saved Stories stay in your archive for as long as your account is active, so you can look back at them long after they disappear from Instagram.

Question 12

Are hidden tags and mentions included?

Accepted Answer

Yes — tags and mentions inside Stories are surfaced where they are publicly available.

Question 13

Does it work with private accounts?

Accepted Answer

No. Watcholy only works with accounts that are already public, and it never bypasses or unlocks a private account. Private stays private.

Question 14

Is the account notified that it's being watched?

Accepted Answer

Instagram doesn't notify accounts about public profile views, and Watcholy doesn't contact or interact with the accounts you add.

Question 15

Is my own data safe?

Accepted Answer

Your account, watched usernames and archive are private to you. We don't sell your data. See our Privacy Policy for the full detail.

Question 16

Is Watcholy affiliated with Instagram or Meta?

Accepted Answer

No. Watcholy is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Instagram or Meta.

Question 17

How often does Watcholy check?

Accepted Answer

Every 2 hours on Weekly and every hour on Monthly. Checks run automatically in the background — you never have to trigger one.

Question 18

How will I be notified?

Accepted Answer

Alerts are delivered by email, and every saved Story is always available in your dashboard.

Question 19

Can I turn alerts off?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Email alerts can be turned off, and watching keeps running quietly in the background.

Question 20

How much does Watcholy cost?

Accepted Answer

Two plans: Weekly — $4.99/week, 3 watched accounts checked every 2 hours; Monthly — $14.99/month, 5 watched accounts checked every hour. Both include a 3-day free trial and the same features.

Question 21

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes — a 3-day free trial with full access. You aren't charged until the trial ends.

Question 22

What counts as a watched account?

Accepted Answer

Each public Instagram username you add to Watching counts as one. Looking someone up in the Story Viewer does not count.

Question 23

Can I change plans or cancel?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Switch between Weekly and Monthly or cancel at any time from your account. Cancelling stops future billing and keeps access until the end of the period.

Question 24

Do you have a promo code field?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Promo codes can be applied at checkout and are reflected in the total before you confirm.

Straight Answers

The Basics

Manual Story Viewing

Automatic Watching

Privacy & Safety

Alerts & Scheduling

Plans & Billing

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