Can’t follow someone on Instagram? You’re not the only one facing this issue. Several like you undergo this problem.
With over 2 million users, Instagram is one of the most used social media platforms.
Several Instagram users have reported the issue of not being able to follow people. The ‘Follow’ button on Instagram just won’t work.
It could be a sign that you’re either temporarily blocked or permanently.
Instagram has a specific set of guidelines when it comes to following people. Also, if you are struggling with fewer followers, just check out the best sites to buy Instagram followers and grow.
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But now that you’re beating your head over why Instagram is not letting you follow people, let’s find an answer.
Why is Instagram Follow Block For Me?
When you are unable to follow on Instagram, it may be because you’re blocked. No, not blocked from the person’s list, but from following more people.
Instagram has a limit of 7500 people for the following list to avoid spamming. Once you have reached the limit of following 7500 people, you won’t be able to follow more people.
Why Does Instagram Block Me from Following People?
If you have been having trouble following people on Instagram, know that there are various reasons why this may happen. However, the good thing is no matter what the problem is, you can still resolve it.
So, here are some of the common reasons why Instagram followers are blocked and you can’t follow people and how to fix it on Instagram:
1. Faulty Network Connection
Instagram may sometimes refuse to function normally because of a faulty internet connection. For example, the WiFi router may not be connected to the internet, or there may be some technical glitch.
Apart from the router, your phone may also create some nuances, especially regarding connectivity. Check the data allowances if you are not using the router but your phone’s connection.
If the data allowance has expired or has been switched to roaming, you may be unable to connect. You cannot follow new people or refresh your home feed if the internet is over.
Visit the phone’s settings and check if your phone has proper cellular connectivity. This will usually be available on your phone under the Control Center. If you accidentally enabled Airplane mode, switch it off. Apart from that, you can also restart your phone and check if the internet is functioning correctly.
2. Follower Limit Reached
On Instagram, you’re permitted to follow only 7500 people. Once you’ve crossed or reached that limit, you cannot follow any new people. Instagram has taken this step to prevent spamming.
Even if you try following one person beyond the limit, you will receive the error message. Although billions of people are on Instagram, 7500 can often be many people to follow. Not everyone reaches close to that limit.
Instead of focusing solely on following people, consider strategies to get Instagram followers organically. This can include creating engaging content, using trending hashtags, and interacting meaningfully with your audience.
However, some people do reach that limit and are not allowed to exceed it. With the Instagram follow limits explained, you’d have to unfollow some people upon reaching that limit if you want to follow new people.
Unfollowing people also has a specific limit on Instagram. For example, every hour you can follow or unfollow a maximum of 60 users every hour. You can unfollow some people from your following list, and that should resolve the issue.
You can visit your following list and tap on the profile you want to unfollow and confirm the process.
3. Re-Authentication Needed
Instagram is very strict with its rules and requires you to authenticate your profile often. If you fail to do that sometimes, Instagram will prevent you from following any new people.
So, if there are any issues with your account authentication, you must ensure that you fix them soon. You may sign out of your account and sign in again. Through this process, you will be able to authenticate your account.
You can log out of your Instagram profile using the Settings menu. You should wait for some time before signing into your profile again. Once you have signed back into your account, visit the profile of the person you want to follow. Hit the following button on their profile and check if you can follow them.
4. Excessive Instagram Cache
Not many people know this, but you may be unable to follow people on Instagram if there’s some glitch in the cache. Instagram cache refers to the collection of video and photo history.
As you keep posting, the history will increase, too. Eventually, it will become corrupted. Excessive Instagram cache can surely be a pain for Android users. Not only with following people, but they’re also likely to struggle with a lot of other things on the app, such as its slowdown.
Clearing the Instagram cache from the phone’s Settings menu should fix Instagram following issue and also improve the performance and speed of the Instagram app.
After clearing the cache, you will have to launch the Instagram app on your phone. Sohn into your account and check if the Follow feature is working.
If you’re struggling with the Instagram app due to cache issues as an iPhone user, you will have to uninstall the app. Now, reinstall the app and proceed ahead with the following people.
5. Instagram is Down
When Instagram is down, you won’t be able to do anything on the app- not even refresh the feed. Now that even the most basic aspect wouldn’t function, you will be unable to follow on Instagram.
You can use different third-party websites to check if the app is down. If you’re unable to follow people because Instagram is down, you’d have to wait for some time. Meta will look into the problem and fix it.
This should take a couple of hours, but the function will be back. After that, you can fix the problem and start using the platform again.
6. Instagram App Glitches
Apart from the downtime of Instagram, the app may have some glitches, too. These glitches are likely to occur because of problems on Meta’s end. In some cases, you can just update the app and fix the problem.
But before you update the app, you can just close it. After that, you can open your app and check if the app is performing normally. If the app glitch still exists, you will have to update the app.
Whether you’re an iPhone user or an Android user, you should be able to update the app from the App Store and Play Store, respectively.
If the Follow feature doesn’t work even after you have updated the app, you will have to wait for a few hours until the app starts functioning normally.
7. Account Restriction
If you’re unable to follow people on Instagram despite trying the above methods, you’d have to check if there has been any restriction on your app.
If you have been constantly adapting the follow/unfollow strategy, Instagram will restrict your account after some time. This is one of the easiest answers to why I can’t follow on Instagram.
If Instagram restricts your account, you may not be able to follow new people. When you’re liking the posts of too many people at once, Instagram will restrict your account. You also need to be careful about posting spam comments, as it can lead to your account being restricted.
Instagram monitors all profiles closely. If you break any rules or Instagram suspects any suspicious activity on your account, such as breaking the rules, it will restrict your account.
If you continuously break the rules, Instagram might as well block your account. Moreover, you must avoid logging into your Instagram account and using it from multiple devices at once. Being logged in from multiple devices and using it at the same time is seen as a suspicious activity.
8. You Are Blocked
What if the other person blocks you? Sometimes you may be unable to follow people because you are blocked by them. You can check their account from other profiles.
If you don’t have access to any other profile, you can follow the steps given below to check if you are blocked:
● Copy their account/profile URL.
● Log out of your Instagram account.
● Paste their profile URL on the browser.
Now, you must be able to check if you are blocked or not. If their profile URL is working, it means you are blocked. You will have to wait for the person to unblock you so that you can follow them.
9. You are Using VPN
While VPN can give you access to some restricted content, it is advisable not to use it. If you use your Instagram account with the VPN on, you may not be able to follow new people.
In this case, Instagram will flag your account as having been involved in any suspicious activity. As a result, the account will be restricted. Therefore, you will not be able to follow new people also.
Whether you’re using this on a website or browser, you are likely to come across this problem. Thus, disconnect the VPN, and you should be able to resolve the issue.
Conclusion
Now that you know why it is not letting you follow people, make sure that you also adopt the solutions. Since Instagram is very particular about the rules and guidelines, make sure that you’re not breaking any.