Why Can’t I Follow People On TikTok?

The Internet has made life more convenient in many ways, but it’s easy to forget that our online presence is at the mercy of technology and computer algorithms.

A system failure somewhere in the world — or an arbitrary rule set by a programmer — can block you from doing what you want to do online, without warning. You might also have inadvertently chosen the wrong settings on your device.

TikTok users aren’t immune from those issues when navigating the social media platform. For example, you may hit a roadblock when simply trying to follow a TikTok account whose videos you’ve enjoyed.

What’s up with that?

Why TikTok Might Not Let You Follow Someone

If you see the “follow” button greyed out when you try to tap it, the problem usually falls into one of three categories.

The TikTok Algorithms

TikTok has billions of users, and some of them are trying to game the system. The app has programmed its algorithms to detect spam activity by automated bots, and you might be doing something that the algos consider suspicious.

Trying to follow “too many” accounts is high on the list. TikTok won’t confirm the specifics, but it’s widely believed that following more than 200 users per day, or more than 15 in an hour, can trigger a temporary block on your activity. Users are also limited to a total of 10,000 follows.

The platform can also temporarily restrict accounts that have violated Community Guidelines by “shadowbanning” them, preventing users from being seen widely or taking common actions like following someone else.

Waiting a few hours or a day usually clears temporary blocks. You can find out if you’re being penalized by visiting your profile and then going to Settings and privacy > Support > Safety Center > Account check.

Account Settings

The settings in your TikTok profile may prevent you from following another user. One common culprit is having set your account to “private,” and that may require the other user to approve your follow request before you’re added to their fan base. Similarly, the account you want to follow may be private, meaning they’ll have to approve your request to become their fan.

There are two other possibilities. If you’ve chosen the “restricted mode” setting you may not be able to follow some accounts, or the person you want to follow may have already blocked you.

Technical Issues

Several tech glitches might prevent the TikTok app from letting you follow someone.

• TikTok may be having server issues or you may be having technical problems on your end. If your Internet connection is fine otherwise, wait a few minutes and try following again. If you’re still having no luck, try signing out and back in again, restarting the app, or if those don’t help, deleting the app and reinstalling it.
• Your app may be outdated; make sure you’re using the latest TikTok version.
• Your TikTok cache may be full; clear it by going to Settings and privacy > Cache and Cellular > Free up space, and click “Clear” next to the “Cache” setting.

An inability to follow accounts on the app is usually pretty easy to resolve. Finding new followers for your own account is much harder. iDigic’s inexpensive TikTok follower packages are the fastest and most effective way to build a fan base through organic growth; check them out elsewhere on our site.