Do you have an Instagram account? Probably, if you read this question, you use the Internet. And if you use it often, the chances that you have an Insta account are very high.
You will agree that Instagram is the third world’s most popular social media platform on the planet. There are over 500 million accounts active every day and this number is constantly growing.
However, many users of this social network face one common problem. When they try to start following someone’s account, they are unable to do that.
This article will explain why sometimes it is impossible to follow people on Instagram and how this problem can be solved.
Why Can’t I Follow People on Instagram
Every person who registers an Insta account makes it with the goal to share his or her pictures and videos with others as well as be able to see the content posted by others. In order to teach the latter purpose, people become followers of a certain account pressing the respective button. However, sometimes you may face a problem that this button cannot be clicked no matter how hard you try. Why does it happen?
Here is the deal: The social media platform can block a user’s account for 24-48 hours or even forever.
The most popular reasons why you can be prevented from following others are explained lower.
You Have Reached the Follow Limit
This is crazy: every user can follow only a limited number of pages.
The maximum number of pages to follow on the platform is 7,500. If you want to add others or follow back, you need to unsubscribe from the ones you have followed to be able to add new friends.
Not everyone knows, and most often these are owners of the new accounts, that only 160 people can be followed each day on Instagram. Moreover, there is also an hourly limit of 120 accounts. Otherwise, if you decide to join more accounts, especially if it happens within a short period of time, Instagram will block you from following new accounts. The reason for that is a viewpoint that your actions can be considered spammy and it is a violation of the terms and conditions.
Solution: keep the limit and avoid following more people. Always check whether your device is not connected to the 3rd party applications which can act on behalf you.
You Have Followed Hundreds of People in a Short Space of Time
Unawareness or any other reason about the limits on the social media platform may lead to the abundance of people added within a short period of time. If you did it accidentally and realized the problem, there is only one thing you can do.
Solution: Stop following other people for several hours. Probably, due to that, Instagram will not assume you to be a spammer and will not block your account.
Your Account is Newly Made
When you create a new account, you probably want to follow as many people as possible. But experts do not recommend doing that because of the possible poor consequences you may face. It is forbidden to follow very many users within a short space of time for new accounts since these actions can be considered as a violation of the guidelines.
Solution: experts advise limiting the number of follows by 100 per few hours if you do that from a newly created account.
Your Account is Restricted
There are two types of restriction on Instagram. The first one is applied when you outnumber the limit of follows which can be made within a certain period of time (follow requests are not included). Such behavior is considered spammy and may lead to restrictions.
Solution: This restriction can be lifted if you stop using your Instagram account for several days.
Violating the Community Guidelines
The second type of restriction or block is applied to the accounts which have violated the rules of this social media platform if you post inappropriate content or harass other users.
Solution: This restriction is usually not lifted. The only way out is to turn to customer support.
There is a Bug With Your App
Most of the applications you use on your mobile devices store temporary data and files on the device. It is made for improving your experience and be always logged in. However, it is not a rarity that this data gets corrupted because of some reasons and it may result in bugs one of which is an inability to follow anyone.
Solution: There are several ways to cope with these issues:
- Clear your cache and reset data by offloading the application;
- Restart your mobile device;
- Update the app.
How to Get Unblocked from Following
Many Instagram users could face a situation when their new or old accounts were blocked from following. The main reasons for this case were mentioned above, but you can also get blocked from following if you decide to click a button next to one person, miss it accidentally, and press ‘unfollow’ then. Such a simple mistake may also lead to the consequences when you cannot continue following other people since all of them get unfollowed automatically. If you have ever suffered from this problem, consider the following solutions to this problem.
Facebook account
If you are unable to follow your friends, it is necessary to access options of your account and choose Facebook Friends under the button ‘Follow People’. Enter your Facebook account and add this person there. After that, make an effort to repeat the same on your Instagram account.
Logging account afresh
To log out of the existing account open the settings and do that. Open a browser or app again and log in again. The bug must be fixed.
Entering account in the web browser
If your application continues to get on your nerves by unfollowing your friends, leave the app and open an Internet browser. Enter your account there and forget about any issues.
If you are not sure why your Instagram account was blocked from following, there are two things left:
- Wait for 72 hours and only then try to enter your account again. There are high chances for unblocking it;
- Contact customer support and find out the reason why your account was blocked and if it is possible to unblock it.
Conclusion
It is a real pleasure to look through the photos and videos of your friends and relatives, celebrities and clubs following them on your Instagram account. However, if you once see that your ability to follow as blocked, analyze your behavior on the platform to understand which solution is suitable in your case. It will help you to continue your great experience using your basic account.
