Follows

Following relationships provide access to some Instagram conversation features, but a one-way connection does not always provide the same access as a mutual one.910 Mosseri explains that Notes, the short updates above the message inbox, can be shared with mutual follows or Close Friends.2 For broadcast channels, Meta’s Newsroom says someone who tries to join without already following the creator will be prompted to follow them.9

To open the Following feed, Mosseri instructs people to tap the Instagram logo on the home feed and select “Following.”8 This view puts the newest posts first.8 For accounts whose posts someone particularly wants to see, Mosseri recommended opening the account’s profile, tapping the Following button and adding it to Favorites.3 He said in May 2025 that posts from those accounts will then appear at the top of the home feed.3

Managing follower relationships includes approving each follower on a private account; Instagram said that previously, there had been no simple way to undo that approval without blocking the person.11 In December 2016, Instagram introduced a removal option for private accounts: open the followers list and tap the “…” menu beside a person’s name, without notifying them of the removal.11 Mosseri said in June 2025 that Instagram had no mass-unfollow feature, but people could open their profile, tap Following and review the accounts they had interacted with least over the preceding 90 days to find possible unfollows.12 In August 2025, he encouraged people to unfollow accounts as their interests change.4 He also explained that checking whether someone follows you is possible, but not through one convenient, consolidated list.4 To check a particular account, visit its profile while you are not following it: “Follow back” means it follows you, while “Follow” means it does not.4

Followers typically see a newly shared Reel first, according to Instagram for Creators, and some may unfollow during that initial exposure.6 As the Reel reaches more people who do not follow the creator, the likelihood of gaining new followers increases, although the full potential audience can take time to see it.6 Instagram for Creators therefore advises patience with short-term follower losses and looking at results over time.6 Mosseri explained in February 2025 that Instagram sometimes limits recommendations because it takes greater responsibility when showing content from an account someone did not choose to follow.7 Meta patents published in November 2019 and January 2020 illustrate following as a possible reason for another person’s posts or comments to appear in someone’s feed; these are patent examples, not descriptions of current Instagram behavior or evidence that follows determine the order of comments.1314

Following connections help Instagram find accounts to suggest: Meta’s Transparency Center says potential suggestions include followers of accounts a person already follows.15 Its description also lists follow counts, mutual connections and how long a suggested account has been following the person as information used to personalize suggestions.15 A June 2023 Meta patent addresses the risk that recommending already popular accounts repeatedly helps them gain still more followers while less popular accounts do not benefit in the same way.16 That Meta patent proposes grouping accounts by follower count to help counter this concentration of recommendations; it does not establish how Instagram currently selects suggested accounts.16