Why Won’t TikTok Let Me Follow Someone?

/02 May, 2024 1:20 pm

Why won’t TikTok let me follow someone? Has this thought been bothering you lately? Well, it does sometimes bother some people—especially those who want to grow on TikTok by engaging more with their audience.

Quick Answer:

If you think why won't TikTok let me follow someone then it is probably because you have reached a limit or it can be a glitch. BTW TikTok does not allow you to follow more than 15 people in an hour and more than 200 in a day.

So if you want this limit to go away, wait until the next day starts. And go easy on the follow button. There is another limit, which is that you are not able to follow more than 10,000 users on TikTok. You have to unfollow some to follow new ones.

Moreover, TikTok servers can also be down, just about 3 days ago they shut down but came back online after 33 minutes. Your internet could be a cause or your app may simply need a new update.

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There could be several reasons why you must be experiencing this issue. Today, in this article we will explore in detail what could be the reasons behind this happening. And what sort of restrictions are not letting you follow someone special? Let’s find the answer:

Why Won’t TikTok Let Me Follow Someone? (Reasons and Fixes)

There are many reasons and let’s explore some of them:

You Have Been Following People at a Rapid Pace

TikTok has a limit to how many people you can follow in an hour. So if you are experiencing a problem and unable to follow friends, then it suggests you have tried following more than 15 people within the hour limit.

TikTok only allows you to follow about 15 people in an hour. Moreover, you can only follow 200 people on TikTok per day. Now this limit is set by TikTok and you can’t follow more than that. So if you have experienced such a problem then it probably means you have followed too many in a day or an hour.

Why Won't TikTok Let Me Follow Someone Guide

What you have to do is wait at least 24 hours for the limit to break. And afterwards, you will again be able to follow anyone on TikTok. These limits are only set to prevent people from abusing TikTok’s features.

You are at Your Follow Limit

One more reason is that you have followed way too many people over the years. In other words, you have reached your following limit, which is following 10,000. Yes, you can’t follow people up to 10k.

Even if you try to follow more than that, it won’t work out. And this is exactly what is going on with you. So if you want to follow more people, then you need to unfollow some first.

It is a good thing because you would have the time to unfollow those people who you do not engage with and those who do not engage with you.

TikTok’s Servers are Down

Another unfortunate reason would be that TikTok is down and servers are not responding. Apps like that do go through such issues but not too often. Just 3 days back on April 28th, 2024, the TikTok servers went down for almost 33 minutes on a Sunday.

tiktok not letting me follow

You could learn about the outage through other social media platforms, Google or your friend. However, there is no need to worry. The server issue will be resolved in some time. So have some patience until the server is up and running again.

Check If Your Internet is Working Fine

An internet issue can also be the reason behind this happening. You should check if your internet is working properly. Whether you are fully receiving the Wifi signals. Usually, it looks like the internet is connected but there is no access to it.

Now this sort of internet issue can be resolved if you contact your internet provider. Your provider will be able to fix the fault.

TikTok is Banned in Your Region

There is one more reason why you won’t be able to follow someone, it is because TikTok has been recently banned in your country. Usually, the no feature of TikTok works when it is banned in your area.

Sometimes glitches occur and you may see the TikTok screen but would not be able to interact with users’ posts.

tiktok won't let me follow

In that case, you should install a VPN and turn it on to run TikTok on your device or computer. Through VPN you will be able to access several features of TikTok, and can also follow your favourites.

You Have Connected to a VPN

Usually, when you are connected to a VPN for too long, it stops working and you are unable to reload certain areas of the app. Same way you won’t be able to follow someone. And it may seem like your internet is gone, but the VPN has slowed down your internet speed.

So what you have to do is disconnect the VPN and then connect it back again. Once you have done that, you will see your internet working fine and your TikTok also loading videos.

To avoid further problems like these in the future, you should buy a premium-quality version of the VPN that won’t be able to drop your connection speed.

TikTok Cache Files Have Corrupted

Another reason why TikTok won’t let you follow someone is that your cache files are corrupted. Every app has a cache. The cache stores data to make the experience smoother and better in the future.

Cache stores the back-end temporary data, the relevant mini thumbnails, and so on for the better performance of the app. The cache data can be corrupted if your mobile shuts down while you are using the app.

Whatever the reason for this data corruption, you can fix it by clearing the cache. Once you clear the cache, TikTok will feel fresh, and may take some time to open up but it would be worth it because now you will be able to follow anyone on TikTok.

Btw if you are using iPhone then you would have to uninstall and then reinstall the TikTok app since the cache option is not available for iPhone users.

Here is how to clear the TikTok cache on Android:

  • Go to “Settings” by Swiping up or down on your mobile screen based on your device.
  • Now go to the “Apps & notifications” options.
  • Note: Apps and notifications may not be the exact option for everyone’s smartphone. However, make sure to move to the section where you can see the installed apps on your device.
  • Now click on “See all apps.”
  • Scroll to find and tap “TikTok.”
  • Go to the “Storage & Cache” option.
  • Hit the “Clear cache” button.

After this process, your cache will clear out and now simply relaunch the app and start following people you love.

Try Using TikTok on Your Browser to Follow Someone

If you want to follow someone right now then go to the Chrome browser and log in to your TikTok account. Use TikTok on Chrome browser to follow the people you want to follow. It will work on the browser version.

The browser version does not have many features, but it sure is good to use from time to time whenever you want to either view an entertaining video or follow and like someone’s post.

Your TikTok App Needs an Update

An outdated version of TikTok must also be the reason behind your following feature not working properly. Updates for apps come with several new changes and fixes.

can't follow anyone on tiktok

When you are using the older version but others are using the latest version, you may not be able to get access to the new features that are visible to others.

In this scenario, you should update your TikTok app to access every new fix and feature. Simply go to the app store and search TikTok. If you see the “Update” button, it means your app needs it. If you don’t need it then it simply means you already have the latest version installed.

Why You Could Not Follow the Person on His TikTok Profile?

Are you too wondering why when I follow someone on TikTok it automatically unfollows? Well, it is because the person has either blocked you or set his account to private. If they have set the account to private then they may take some time to accept, you just have to wait a while.

And when you see the follow button again, it means they did not accept your follow request. 2nd case if the user has blocked you then there is nothing you can do about it. Only have to wait until you are unblocked. But it is better to move on.

Frequently Asked Questions

TikTok has strict policies for people who show spam-like behavior. For example, if you quickly start following or unfollowing too many people in a short period, you may come across temporary restrictions by TikTok.

If you want to grow on TikTok without worrying about any kind of restriction, then you should buy TikTok Followers, comments, and views from LikesGeek. We give you genuine followers that you can interact with.

The period of a restriction depends upon the activity of the user. For example, it could last for days for some, and hours for others.

You will see a greyed-out follow button, which means the person has blocked you.

You will see a lock icon next to their name if they have a private TikTok account. Moreover, you will not be able to follow them until or unless they accept the following request you sent.

No, TikTok does not notify the users who are being blocked by other users.

Yes, technical issues like glitches and servers going down can cause this problem. And this is the reason TikTok keeps on updating their app no matter what device you use it on.

No, unfortunately, there is no way you can bypass TikTok's follow restrictions. Even if you do somehow bypass them, it would be a violation of Twitter rules. So you would have to wait until TikTok unblock your account.

Amanda Silberling
Article By:
Amanda Silberling

I work at Likes Geek as a marketing researcher and journalist with over 5 years of experience in media and content marketing. With a demonstrated history of working in the international news and financial technology publishing industries. I manage content and the editorial team at Likes Geek.