Why Does Instagram Unfollow My Friends?

Have you realized that you are not following someone you thought you were following on Instagram?

If it is one person, it could be a mistake, but what if you keep noticing you’ve unfollowed multiple people, yet you didn’t do that?

Some users have complained that Instagram is unfollowing people on their behalf.

This guide answers whether Instagram can remove someone as your follower. Also, we will see how to know if Instagram removed someone as your follower and how you can remove someone from the list of those following you.

How To Know If Instagram Unfollowed Your Friend

If you suspect that Instagram is unfollowing your friends, one way of confirming that is by checking your Instagram following list.

If you are sure you have followed someone on Instagram, you can view your profile, and if they are not in your “Following” list, they have been removed as your follower.

1. Open your Instagram app and access your account.
2. Click on the icon at the bottom to open your profile.
3. Click the option for “Following”.
4. Scroll down the list looking for your target person or click the search icon and enter their name.

If you don’t find a person that you are sure you were following, then they have been unfollowed by Instagram.

Why Is Instagram Unfollowing My Friends?

Instagram claims that at no point will they unfollow someone on your behalf. If so, why is it that you are noticing your list of the people you follow is reducing, or you no longer follow specific friends?

If Instagram can’t unfollow your friends for you, then it leaves two possible explanations.

Explanation #1: You’ve Been Hacked

Instagram accounts getting hacked is not something new.

Many users have reported cases where they have had their accounts hacked and various activities done to their accounts.

If someone has hacked your account, they may decide to unfollow your friends intentionally. When that happens without your consent, you will only realize you no longer follow specific people.

If you suspect someone is controlling your account, report the issue to Instagram.

Furthermore, change your passwords, set up two-factor authentication, and log out of any devices accessing your account.

Explanation #2: Someone Removed You as Their Follower

If your account has not been hacked, then it’s likely that a friend you initially followed on Instagram has decided to remove you as their follower. When that happens, they will no longer appear in your “Following” list on Instagram, which is unfortunate.

You have two options for telling if someone removed you as their follower on Instagram.

Option #1: Check Your Instagram Following List

If someone is no longer appearing on your list of “Following”, they decided to remove you as their follower.

To quickly verify so, follow the steps below:

1. Open your Instagram account and access your profile by clicking on your icon.
2. Click on “Following” and search for the name of the target person.
3. If you can’t find them, then they decided to unfollow you.

Option #2: Check Their Followers List

This method takes into account the Instagram profile of your target person. For that, use the steps below:

1. Open your Instagram account.
2. Click the search icon and enter their username.
3. Once their profile comes up, click on it.
4. Check for your Instagram account from their “Followers” list.

If you are not part of their list of followers, then they have removed you as their friend, which makes sense why you think Instagram is unfollowing your friends.

Conclusion

Instagram doesn’t unfollow your Instagram friends.

So, if you find that you are not friends with someone you followed on Instagram, it means you’ve been hacked, or someone has decided to unfollow you as their friend.

The good thing is that we’ve seen the various ways you can verify that.

Frequently Asked Questions