✎ Key Points:
» You can easily tell if someone follows you on Instagram by checking your follower list, regardless of their account’s privacy settings.
» People may notice these actions, especially if they actively track their followers.
» If you want to view someone’s account secretly, consider creating a separate account or asking a mutual friend for access to theirs to avoid detection.
Contents
If You Follow Someone On Instagram Do They Know:
If you follow someone on Instagram, they will know. If it is a public account, as soon as you follow them, they will receive a notification saying “__ started following you” in their notification section of Instagram. If they have a private account, they will get a follow request notification saying “[username] sent you a follow request”.
The following request will be available with all the pending requests at the top of their notification section. As soon as they accept the friend request, the request will change into a notification saying “_username_ started following you”.
If You Follow Someone On Instagram Can They See Your Posts:
This is a common concern that many Instagram users have. This means that you need to be aware that when you follow someone on Instagram, it doesn’t automatically grant them access to see all your posts.
The visibility of your posts depends on your privacy settings and the audience you’ve selected for each post.
If you notice that someone you follow on Instagram isn’t able to see your posts, the solution might be as simple as adjusting your privacy settings. Ensure that your posts are set to be visible to the appropriate audience, such as your followers or a specific group of people.
Also, if you want someone specific to see your posts, but they’re not able to due to privacy settings, you can consider sending them a follow request.
What Happens When You Follow Someone On Instagram:
There are a few things that will happen:
1. You See his Private Stuff
If you do not follow someone on Instagram, you will not be able to view their private content. If their account is private, all their posts and follow lists will be kept hidden until your follow request is accepted. You will also not be able to see their stories. You can only see these posts and stories if you send them a follow request. But even so, you will have to accept it for you to be able to view the content.
2. Your DM is delivered
Another thing you will notice if you do not follow someone is that all the messages you are trying to send them will not appear in the direct messaging section. Instead, they will appear in the message requests. They can either accept these requests or reject them; this depends on their choice.
If you are wondering what message requests are, go to your Instagram app and the DM section. At the top right corner, you will see a button that says “Message Requests”. This is where they will see your messages. Another drawback to this is that you will not know if they read your message or not unless they accept the request.
Therefore, if you text someone you don’t follow, your message will not appear with everyone else’s messages in the DMs but separately in the message requests section.
3. You can See Posts
You can still see their public posts if you do not follow someone. This applies to accounts that are not private (Public Accounts). All their posts will be on their profile, and you can view them without any problem.
However, you will not be able to see stories and other things that are only for followers or close friends. To be able to view more than that, read till the last section, where you will be given tips to see people’s posts without their knowing you follow them.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. If you follow someone on Instagram and then unfollow, will they know?
If you follow someone and unfollow them, technically, they will know, but they won’t be receiving any notification giving them that information. In simple words, if they don’t actively want to know if you unfollowed them, they will not know.
Therefore, a user tracking just the number of followers will know that a follower decreased, but they won’t know who this may be. If a user is tracking not only the number of followers but also the names of the followers, manually or via a third-party app, they will know that you have unfollowed them.
2. If I follow someone on Instagram can they see my posts?
If you follow someone on Instagram, the person you followed can click on your username from the following notification that they will get. They can look at your account details and posts to understand what kind of a person you are before following you. This applies only to public accounts.
If your account is private, as soon as they get a notification with your username on it and click on it, they will only be able to see your username and bio. They won’t be able to see the posts and follow lists because your account is private.
3. If I follow someone on Instagram can they see my private account?
No, if you follow someone on Instagram, they will not be able to see your private account. Instagram takes privacy concerns very seriously, which is why if you choose to maintain a private account, Instagram will ensure they adhere to all the guidelines so that no one can see your account against your will.
If they need to see your account, they will have to send you a follow request from their profile. This request will appear in the notification section. Only if you accept the following request will they be able to see your account.
