Have you realized your Instagram is automatically following accounts that you do not even know of? Then we’ve found you the best ways to prevent your account from performing such activities.
You may have noticed that your Instagram account has started following a number of Instagram users automatically and you may be wondering why these activities keep on happening on your account. You may have logged in to your account and seen your “following” number increase tremendously.
You should not shiver about this issue anymore because we’ve got you covered. We are going to give you the actual reasons why this is happening to your account and how to prevent it so that it does not escalate and affect your account later.
Does Instagram Automatically Follow Accounts?
No! Instagram does not automatically follow accounts. If your Instagram account is automatically following other accounts then you should know there is a problem somewhere. This is because Instagram’s privacy policy does not allow any activities to run on your account without your consent.
You solely run all the activities that go on in your account from liking posts, commenting on posts, mentioning others, sharing posts and following other social media accounts to the least activity you can perform on the app. Therefore if your Instagram account is automatically following other accounts, you should find this very problematic and quickly remedy the issue as soon as possible.
Worry no more because the reason for your account following other accounts automatically has been highlighted in this article together with the solutions to it. Just read more!
Why Does My Instagram Automatically Follow Accounts?
If you are wondering why your Instagram is automatically following other accounts, you should know that it is usually because spammers have gained control over your account, hence your account has been compromised. This means that another user has gained access to your account and performing certain activities without your notice.
The best thing you can do to prevent your Instagram account from automatically following other accounts is to stop other users from accessing your account. So basically your account has been hacked and you must remedy this by doing the following:
- If your Instagram auto-follow other accounts, you must change your login credentials on Instagram.
- Update your password on your device or computer.
- Remove access to connected apps to your Instagram account.
How to Stop Auto Following on Instagram
We are going to give you the best guidelines to prevent your Instagram from automatically following someone. You are supposed to do your best to prevent illegal access to your account by other users and this is what is going to keep your account safe from automatically following random accounts.
Following the troubleshooting to stop auto-following on Instagram:
1. Manage Apps Connected to Your Instagram
To remedy the issue of your Instagram account following random accounts, the first thing to do is to prevent unauthorized apps from having permanent access to your Instagram. You can do this either on the Instagram web or the Instagram app on your Android or iOS device. Follow the steps below to manage apps connected to your Instagram account:
- Launch the Instagram app on your Android or iOS device or the Instagram web.
- On your Instagram feed, tap your profile picture or icon in the lower right corner of the page.
- On your Instagram profile page, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines located in the top right of the page).
- On the menu that comes up, tap “Settings“.
- Navigate and tap “Security“.
- Now tap “Apps and Websites.”
- Here, tap “Remove” under suspicious apps or websites you want to remove from your Instagram.
You will see three tabs in this section. The “Active,” “Expired” and “Removed.” On the active tap, you will see all the active apps or websites that have been linked to your account.
If you have used any Instagram third-party apps or plugins before without removing them you will see them there and you must remove those accounts as soon as possible.
After removing the unauthorized accounts from your Instagram, you can go ahead to change your Instagram password on your Instagram app or Instagram web.
2. Change Your Instagram Account Password
After managing the apps connected to your Instagram account, it is advised that you change your Instagram account password as soon as possible in order to prevent the illegal user from being able to access your Instagram account again. Use the easy steps below to change your password on Instagram:
- Launch the Instagram app on your Android or iOS device.
- On your Instagram feed, tap your profile picture or icon in the downright corner of the page.
- On your Instagram profile page, tap the three horizontal lines located in the top right of the page.
- On the menu that comes up, tap “Settings”.
- Navigate and tap “Security”.
- Here, under Login security, tap “Password”.
- You must insert your current password, and new password and confirm your new password to successfully change your Instagram password.
- After inserting the correct current password and a new strong password (At least 8 characters long and must contain a combination of numbers, symbols and letters).
- After doing all these, tap Save located in the upper right corner of your screen.
- You will receive an email confirmation that your password has been successfully changed.
3. Change Your Instagram Password on a Computer
Aside from changing your Instagram account password using the Instagram app on your Android or iOS, you can alternatively change your password on the computer via the Instagram web. Use these very easy steps to change your password on a computer.
- Launch Instagram web on your Computer.
- On your Instagram feed, tap your profile picture or icon in the bottom right corner of the page.
- On the menu that comes up, tap “Settings.”
- On the left menu, tap on “Change Password.”
- You must insert your current password, and new password and confirm your new password to successfully change your Instagram password.
- After inserting the correct current password and a new strong password (At least 8 characters long and must contain a combination of numbers, symbols and letters).
- Tap on the “Change Password” button to effect the changes.
- You will receive an email confirmation that your password has been successfully changed.
4. Enable Two-factor authentication on Instagram
Another very essential way to keep your Instagram account highly protected is by enabling two-factor authentication on your Instagram account.
This will enable your account to be more secure because whoever logs into your Instagram account on another device will be requested to input the other verification of the account.
You can easily enable two-factor authentication on Instagram by using the steps below:
- Launch the Instagram app on your Android or iOS device.
- On your Instagram feed, tap your profile picture or icon in the lower right corner of the page.
- On your Instagram profile page, tap the three horizontal lines located in the top right of the page.
- On the menu that comes up, tap “Settings“.
- Navigate and tap “Security“.
- Here, under Login security, tap “Two-factor authentication”.
- Here, tap “Get started“.
- Choose a security method between Whatsapp, the Authentication app (recommended) or Text message. You can choose any of these ways to protect your account by tapping on the toggle near the options.
- Do the follow-up processes to enable two-factor authentication on Instagram.
Conclusion
If you have recently launched your Instagram app and you have realized a sudden following of random accounts by your Instagram, you should know that Instagram in itself does not automatically follow accounts. Therefore your account may have been compromised and you must follow the steps given above to protect your account s soon as possible.
After doing all these, you will notice that your account will no longer follow other users automatically without your action or consent.