In this article, I’ll share with you the possible reasons why won’t TikTok let me follow people and a few things you can look out for and try out to fix this problem.
Following people on TikTok is a great way to discover new content and stay updated on the latest trends and memes. But what do you do if you are failing to follow the people you want to follow on TikTok?
On TikTok, following someone means subscribing to their account and their content. When you follow an account, their videos will appear on your “For You” page, and you’ll receive notifications when they post new content.
You can follow accounts by searching for them in the app and tapping the “Follow” button on their profile.
Possible reasons you can’t follow people on TikTok
There are a bunch of reasons why you may be failing to follow people on TikTok. Some possible reasons include:
1. TikTok following limit
TikTok has a limit on the number of accounts you can follow, though the specific number is not publicly disclosed by TikTok. Many sources however suggest that one TikTok account can only follow 10,000 accounts in total and only 200 accounts per day.
However, this limit may change and can also vary depending on the user’s account status, history, and activity.
If you find that you are unable to follow anyone, you may have reached the maximum number of accounts that you can follow, either on that particular day or in total.
2. Privacy issues
If you find yourself not being able to follow a specific user on TikTok, chances are that they probably blocked you, or that their privacy settings impede you from following, for example, if their account is private or limited to certain people.
3. TikTok shadow ban / temporary block
Your TikTok account can be shadow banned or temporarily blocked for suspicious activities like posting or promoting violent content, hate speech, etc.
If any of these have shown up on your account, TikTok usually restricts your account from following anyone as a warning.
However, if you think your account was banned/blocked in error, you may contact TikTok’s support team to request a review.
4. Device or app issues
If you are failing to follow people on your TikTok account, there may be an issue with your app or your device that is preventing you from doing so.
Additionally, it may be a problem with your internet connection.
5. TikTok thinks you’re a bot
If you are using a public network, the TikTok algorithm may mistakenly categorize you as a bot because you may be sharing an IP address with another device(s) hence restricting you from following any more accounts or performing regular account activities.
The good news is as soon as the algorithm clears this doubt about your account, you will regain the ability to follow.
But you can speed the solution along by changing your account’s password or connecting to a private network.
Also read: Is it Bad to Post Two Tiktoks in a Row? (7 Top Recommendations)
6. The TikTok server is down
When the TikTok server is down; maybe due to routine maintenance or any other issues, your request to follow an account can’t be processed.
You can check the TikTok server status with the help of DownDetector
If your failure to follow people was brought on by the TikTok server being down, there’s nothing you can do but wait for the downtime to pass and then try again.
How to Fix TikTok Won’t Let You Follow Anyone
TikTok restricts you from following other users when violating TikTok’s terms and conditions. When that happens, you can’t do anything but wait for the time being. But if the not following problem occurs for some other reason, then updating the app, clearing the cache, or reinstalling will resolve your issue.
Here are the solutions to fix TikTok Won’t Let You Follow Anyone problem:
1. Wait for Some time
When you follow too many people in a short time or if you hit the following limit, TikTok stops you from following anyone else for a while.
The best thing you can do in this case is to wait for a few hours or for a day to resume your following activities.
2. Update TikTok
Older versions of any app may contain some bugs and sync problems, TikTok is no exception. To get rid of this problem you need to update your app.
Here are the steps to update TikTok:
Open the Play Store (or App Store on iOS)
Search for TikTok
Press that Update button, and your app will start upgrading to the latest version.
3. Clear the cache
A lack of regular cache file removal may lead to a sluggish TikTok app because it won’t be able to process commands and requests fast enough. Therefore you need to clear the cache of your Tiktok app.
You can clear your TikTok cache directly from your profile by going to your TikTok Settings, under Cache & Cellular, going to Free up space, and then clearing your cache.
Or, you can clear your cache via your device’s settings.
To do this:
Go to Settings > Apps or Apps and Notifications, look for TikTok, click on it, then go to Storage and Clear cache.
4. Relaunch or Reinstall your TikTok app
Sometimes, a simple logout and login action can go a long way in sorting bugs out.
Simply go to your TikTok account, log out then wait a few minutes and log in again.
If this does not work then you can go as far as deleting and reinstalling your TikTok app.
To do this simply navigate to your device’s home page, and uninstall or delete the app.
Then, reinstall the app from the App Store or Google Play.
Reinstalling the app will delete most of the app’s settings, data, and cache which might help to refresh it.
After reinstalling your TikTok app, re-login then try following again.
Alternatively, if the following failure problem is only limited to the mobile app version of TikTok, you can opt to use TikTok on your desktop instead.
You can simply log in to the desktop version of TikTok, i.e., Tiktok.com, and enjoy using your following feature and other features until the app issue is resolved.
Also read: Here is Why Won’t TikTok Let Me Link My Instagram (3 Easy Ways To Fix It)
5. Contact TikTok Support
After trying out all the above solutions, if you still can’t find the root of your problem, you can email TikTok support directly and report your issue with specific details, hopefully, they’ll be able to help you in the shortest time possible.
Here are the contacts you can use:
- Account support: [email protected] , [email protected] , or [email protected]
- For Business support: [email protected]
Also, Tiktok’s official Twitter account may solve your problem:
6. TikTok safe usage measures
Since as they say prevention is better than cure, here are some measures you can take to prevent you from facing these issues and the like on your TikTok app
- Keep the following process slow, don’t follow too quickly
- Only follow the accounts you actually like
- If you are a new user, try to follow no more than 20 accounts per hour.
- Thoroughly check the person’s profile before following
- Don’t follow and unfollow the same account over and over again
- Stick to the rules of the TikTok community guidelines
- Keep your TikTok app up to date
- Regularly clear your app’s cache
FAQs
How many users can you follow on TikTok per day and per hour?
You can follow not more than 200 accounts per day and 25-30 accounts. Remember the total following cab is at 10,000 accounts.
However, If you follow too many people at a fast speed, TikTok might become suspicious of your account and consider it spam or a bot which may lead to it being shadowbanned.
What happens if I follow too much on TikTok?
If you follow too many accounts or too quickly, you may receive this error; “following too fast” and your following privileges may be removed for a while, 24 hours at most.
Or you may notice that when you follow someone it automatically unfollows, this means you’ve overdone it as well, so wait.
How long do you remain restricted from following people on TikTok?
There’s no specific period set for the blockage, the time may depend on what caused the restriction on your account, and on the TikTok algorithm.
Generally, it may range from a few hours to even 3 days.
Also note that the newer the account, the longer the restriction time. While the older the account, the shorter the restriction time.
Conclusion
In closing, TikTok may restrict your following privileges for any of the above-mentioned reasons, ranging from usage problems to app or device problems.
Often times you can solve this with something as simple as waiting it out, clearing your cache, updating your app, or even reinstalling your app.
However, there are situations when the problem may be beyond your control and you may require a “higher power” to intervene, in which case you must get in touch with the TikTok support team.
For any comments, questions, or suggestions, please use the comments box below. And please remember to subscribe to my Youtube channel and newsletter for more tips and tutorials.
