Every Instagram influencer wants more likes and more followers. But it’s just as important to retain your current followers. Which may have left you wondering, “Who unfollowed me?” So how can you see who unfollowed you on Instagram?
Instagram doesn’t offer any official way to check your unfollowers. So while I can see the Followers count in my Instagram profile go down, I won’t know who unfollowed me on Instagram.
Currently, there are quite a few third-party apps to see who unfollows you on Instagram. These serve as Instagram trackers for followers and unfollowers, giving you a quick look at who thinks your posts aren’t worth seeing any more.
The Problem With Third-Party Instagram Apps
While these apps are the easiest way to know who unfollowed you on Instagram, they come with their own set of issues. Instagram’s API severely restricts what unofficial developers can do.
For example, with all of these apps, you will only see data from the time you first download the app. From the time you set it up, it tracks all changes to your accounts. But if you lost followers before installing the app, you won’t see any of those.
These apps are also not authorized by Instagram, which means your account security can be in danger. You leave yourself open to data breaches, the app getting sold to someone with ill intentions, and other such risks.
Additionally, these apps might stop working at any moment as Instagram has a history of changing its API or rules without any warning. In the past, several good third-party apps shut down because of Instagram’s changing rules, including Unfollowgram, which was one of the best Instagram unfollowers app.
As long as you know these potential flaws and risks, you can continue to use these apps to find out who unfollowed you on Instagram.
Followmeter (Android, iOS): The Easiest and Best App
I tried out a variety of apps to find out who unfollowed me, and Followmeter is my favorite. The setup process is easy, the interface is simple, and the Unfollower feature is completely free, without any loopholes. Again, it will work only from the point of setup onwards, so you can’t find out old unfollowers.
The dashboard shows unfollowers, new followers, accounts you follow that don’t follow you back, and accounts who follow you but you don’t follow them back. Tap the Unfollowers tab to get a full list of people who unfollowed you on Instagram.
The Unfollower list shows individual accounts, along with whether you follow them or not. Tapping and account will open it in Instagram, where you can send them a message or unfollow them.
Followmeter has premium features to find ghost followers (i.e. inactive users and lurkers), top admirers, and more. These require a payment of $3.99, but the free version doesn’t limit the Unfollower feature in any way whatsoever.
Download: Followmeter for Android | iOS (Free)
Reports+ (Android, iOS): Slow but Secure
Reports+ is slower than Followmeter, but the app makes it a point to mention its security. Again, it works from the time you set it up, but all of the data is stored locally to keep it secure.
The app is also better at issuing notifications that you lost someone, so you can log in to see who unfollowed you on Instagram. You can add multiple accounts to track followers on all of them.
Again, like with Followmeter, there are plenty of other features in Reports+, many of which are hidden behind a paywall. But the unfollowers check is completely free.
Download: Reports+ for Android | iOS (Free)
Other Apps to Find Out “Who Unfollowed Me?”
Apart from Followmeter and Reports+, I tested a few other free Instagram unfollower apps. Here’s a quick list of those that worked well. While you can try any of them, I’d recommend sticking to Followmeter or Reports+ as they are more likely to keep up with any changes in Instagram API and rules.
- Followers & Unfollowers for Android (Free)
- Follow Cop for Android (Free)
- Followers Tracker Pro for iOS (Free)
- Followers Track for Instagram! for iOS (Free)
How to Unfollow Your Unfollowers
“Following back” is one of the unsaid tenets of social media. Now that you know these people have unfollowed you on Instagram, you might want to return the favor. Every time you get a notification, you can unfollow that account too.
But what about those who did this already, before you installed the app? Cleaner for Instagram is a quick and easy app to find out who doesn’t follow you back, and unfollow them in bulk.
- Sign in to Cleaner with your Instagram account.
- In the Following tab, tap Quick Select > Advanced Quick Select > Select non-followers.
- Go through the selection to make sure you want to unfollow all of these. If not, tap any account to deselect them.
- Tap the Lightning icon > Unfollow > Start Now.
Let Cleaner for Instagram finish its process. The changes are reflected in your Instagram account immediately.
Download: Cleaner for Instagram for Android | iOS (Free)
How to Stop Losing Followers on Instagram
“Following back” is just one of the reasons that someone has unfollowed you on Instagram. If that doesn’t seem to be the cause and you are wondering why you are losing followers on Instagram, here are a few other possible reasons.
1. You Have Bought Followers
Did you purchase the services of someone who promises to get you thousands or millions of followers for a few dollars? Instagram frowns upon such manipulation, which usually involves following you with a bunch of bots and fake accounts.
Instagram regularly purges such accounts and so that might be a reason your follower count has dropped. Don’t rely on these services, they are a waste of money and affect credibility.
2. You Have Been Shadow Banned
Trying to game the Instagram ecosystem can result in your account getting a “shadow ban”. This means that while the app functions normally for you, Instagram deliberately hides your posts or puts them in the lowest priority. A shadow ban could render your account and hard work useless.
Instagram will shadow ban those accounts trying to manipulate the system by buying followers, or using third-party cheats. You’ll find apps and services that automatically Like and comment on your posts, or drive up other engagement in fake ways. Avoid these at all cost.
If you think you might be affected, you can check your last ten posts with Triberr’s Instagram Shadowban Test.
3. You Are Posting Too Often or Too Infrequently
If you post too often, followers will get tired of your pictures spamming their timeline. This is especially true for sponsored posts and brand engagements. On the other hand, if you post too infrequently, followers will think you aren’t worth subscribing to.
It’s a difficult balance to maintain, but there isn’t a golden rule or a recommended number to adhere to. It’s something you will have to figure out with your own followers. For example, I would use the above apps to find out who unfollowed me, and ask them what was off-putting.
The new mantra among social media experts is consistency beats frequency, i.e. figure out a post schedule that you can maintain consistently. Even two posts a day is fine, as long as you are able to consistently post two a day.
4. You’re Making Basic Instagram Mistakes
These three are the major reasons for losing followers, but there are several other factors that can cause people to unfollow you. For example:
- Posting about topics that are irrelevant to your brand.
- Posting about controversial topics that divide people’s opinions.
- Not engaging with commenters on posts.
- Posting without the right hashtags, or with poor captions.
- Posting sub-par photos and not editing them well.
Apart from these, our in-house social media expert has highlighted several other things to avoid doing on Instagram.
Don’t Obsess Over Instagram Followers
It’s easy to get locked into a social network’s statistics. Especially as there are some excellent analytics tools to see how you’re doing on Instagram. But don’t obsess over these things. It really doesn’t matter if someone unfollows me or you on Instagram.
In fact, losing a follower does not mean you’re doing a terrible job. This is a slippery slope, and if you go down this path, social networks will make you sad
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. Instead, enjoy your Instagram as a way to escape reality for a few seconds; nothing more, nothing less.
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