It can be quite confusing when you see a spike in followers and engagement with your posts and stories on Instagram. Fake followers don’t add any legitimacy to your Instagram account, and most users understandably want nothing to do with them. Many users struggle with how to remove fake followers from Instagram.
To remove fake followers from Instagram, simply tap your profile icon, select “Followers”, and tap “Remove” next to their names. Instagram only lets you remove 10 fake followers per hour before they flag you for suspicious activity. You can also remove fake followers from Instagram if you block them, and that’s more effective because they cannot follow you again or view your profile.
Many users also use an unfollower app, but those aren’t always accurate. Follow along as we explore how to remove fake followers from Instagram.
Has Instagram Removed Fake Followers?
While Instagram hasn’t completely gotten rid of fake followers, they have cracked down on them. Even still, fake accounts pop up all the time, even if they only last for a few days. You cannot rely on Instagram to remove fake followers, but it’s easy to manually remove them.
How Do I Get Rid of Fake Followers on Instagram?
Inspect Profiles
The first step to removing fake followers from Instagram is to remove them. It’s not always easy to figure out which followers are fake, but there are several signs to look for. You can tell a follower is fake or a bot if the account is new, they follow lots of people and haven’t posted much.
If they have posted something, you can typically tell the picture is fraudulent. Bot accounts typically use generic pictures that they find online. Another clear sign that it’s a fake follower is that the profile picture or pictures they’ve posted are provocative and inappropriate. This is especially true if the profile is incomplete.
Tap the profile icon, and select “Followers” to pull up your list of followers. Scroll through the list and tap “Remove” beside the names of fake followers to remove them from your follower list.
Block Them
Once you’ve determined which followers are fake, you can quickly remove them if you block them. This is a slightly more effective method than simply removing them from your list of followers because they cannot follow you back once you block them. Tap their profile, click the three dots in the upper right corner, and tap “Block”.
This will remove them from your list of followers on Instagram and you won’t be able to view their profile.
Slowly Delete Them
Of course, you want to remove fake followers from Instagram, but you can’t do it all at once. If you have hundreds of fake followers, removing them all at once will make Instagram suspicious. They may suspect bot activity on your end, and Instagram may temporarily suspend your account.
Luckily, Instagram lets you remove up to 200 followers per day. However, you can only remove 10 followers per hour before you trigger Instagram to suspect suspicious activity. Slowly delete fake followers until you eventually have none left.
Make Your Account Private
The best way to remove fake followers from Instagram is to simply make your account private. Many Instagram users hesitate to do this because it limits growth and exposure. However, you can easily remove fake followers and stop new bots from following your account if it’s private.
Fake accounts are also less likely to follow you on Instagram if you have a private account. To make your account private, you must go to your profile page and tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner. Scroll down to “Settings and privacy”, tap it, and find “Account privacy”. Tap the bar to switch your account from public to private.
Use an Unfollower App
Unfollower apps are effective when it comes to getting rid of fake followers on Instagram. However, they are controversial because they aren’t always accurate. Unfollower apps look through your followers and remove accounts that they suspect are bots.
This isn’t always effective because you may have legitimate followers who meet the criteria they use to deem accounts as fake. For example, if you have a friend who follows you and has few followers and has only made one post, the unfollower app may remove them. Only use an unfollower app to remove fake followers from Instagram if you are okay with the possible collateral damage.
How Did I Get So Many Fake Followers on Instagram?
Fake followers may target you on Instagram based on the accounts you follow and interact with. For example, they often look through big Instagram accounts and target many of their followers. They will also look at comments on posts and follow people who interact with them.
So, How Do You Remove Fake Followers on Instagram?
You can remove fake followers on Instagram if you block them or use an unfollower app. Make sure to only delete 10 fake followers per hour, or Instagram may flag you for suspicious activity. Exercise caution if you use an unfollower app because they may also remove legitimate accounts since they are automated.
David Miller is a seasoned tech aficionado with a profound expertise in NGINX and Ubuntu. With a career spanning over a decade, David has honed his skills in optimizing web servers and enhancing server performance to perfection. His deep-rooted passion for open-source technologies has led him to become a go-to resource in the field. Whether it’s crafting intricate NGINX configurations or troubleshooting complex Ubuntu server issues, David’s problem-solving prowess shines through.