Have you noticed that TikTok isn’t showing when you get new followers recently? This can be frustrating if you’re trying to grow your account and track your progress.
But don’t worry – in most cases, there are fixes you can try to make TikTok show your new followers properly again.
In this in-depth guide, I’ll cover the main reasons why TikTok may not be showing new followers and walk you through solutions to try.
Why Is TikTok Not Showing New Followers?
Before diving into fixes, let’s first understand why this problem happens in the first place. There are a few key reasons why TikTok could fail to display when you get new followers:
Server Issues
Like any app, TikTok’s servers can periodically go down or have temporary glitches. When this happens, common account features – like follower tracking – often don’t work properly until the issues are resolved.
Outages only tend to last for a short time, but also tend to affect lots of users at once. So if TikTok isn’t showing your new followers, it may be related to a widespread problem.
Account Bans or Restrictions
If your account gets banned or placed under restrictions, TikTok will disable certain account functions. Seeing new followers in real-time is often one of the casualties in this case.
Bans and restrictions most often happen if TikTok detects activity that violates their community policies. So if your content and engagement practices are in the clear, account bans/restrictions probably aren’t the cause of this problem.
App/Device Issues
If your TikTok app isn’t working properly or your device has software/hardware issues, it can cause account features to malfunction – including follower tracking.
The fix for device/app issues is usually to troubleshoot and update your apps or software, or repair/replace your device.
Buggy Algorithm Behavior
Like any complex software, TikTok’s systems and algorithms aren’t always perfect. Sometimes, “bugs” arise that cause data, like follower counts, to display inaccurately or not update properly.
Algorithm issues are usually on TikTok’s side, meaning we as users can’t do much about it. Fortunately, bugs like these often get squashed quickly via automatic patches or quick-fix software updates.
10 Steps to Get TikTok Showing New Followers Again
Now that you understand potential reasons why TikTok may fail to show your new followers, let’s move onto solutions. Start with a few basic troubleshooting steps and then progress to more advanced techniques if the basic fixes don’t work.
1. Update Your TikTok App
The very first step is to check that your TikTok app is up to date. Open your device’s App Store (or equivalent), then search for TikTok and see if there are any updates available to install.
New TikTok versions often contain bug fixes, performance improvements, and new features – any of which could help resolve your follower notification issue.
Updating your TikTok app only takes a couple minutes. Once it’s done, reopen TikTok and check if new followers are coming through.
2. Force Close and Re-Open the App
If your TikTok app itself has developed a bug or glitch, simply restarting the app can solve lots of problems.
To force close TikTok:
- On iPhone: Double tap the home button to show open apps. Swipe up on the TikTok preview to fully close it.
- On Android: Open phone settings > Apps > TikTok > Force Stop.
With TikTok fully closed, reopen the app. This essentially provides a fresh start, which will reload your data feeds correctly – including new follower notifications.
3. Double Check Your Push Notification Settings
For TikTok to display new follower notifications, you need to have push notifications enabled. Open TikTok’s settings to confirm yours are on:
- On the main feed, tap the profile icon > Settings & privacy > Notifications > Push notifications – check they’re toggled ON.
- Also tap Followers and Following > New followers and make sure that’s enabled too.
If push notifications were mistakenly switched off, toggling them back on should make new followers show properly again.
4. Clear Your App Cache and Data
Over time, cached app data on your device can get outdated or corrupted. When this happens, clearing the cache/data gives a fresh data set.
Here are the steps to clear TikTok’s cached data:
- iPhone: Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Tap TikTok, then tap Offload App (this keeps your data). Open TikTok to reinstall the empty app.
- Android: Settings > Apps > TikTok > Storage > Clear Cache and Clear Data buttons.
Give TikTok about 60 seconds after clearing cache/data to repopulate, then check your new followers count.
5. Restart Your Phone
If TikTok seems very glitchy/laggy overall, a deeper phone restart may help stabilize app performance.
To restart an iPhone: Hold the side button and volume down simultaneously until the power off slider appears. Slide to turn off. After 30 seconds, hold the side button again to boot back up.
To restart Android: Hold the power button and tap Restart when prompted. Most Androids take 1-2 minutes to fully restart.
Once your phone powers up, launch TikTok. The comprehensive reboot helps refresh all data flows, including follower notifications.
6. Try TikTok on Another Device
An easy way to tell if the issue is isolated to your device or account is by installing TikTok another device. Borrow a friend’s phone, use your tablet, PC, etc.
If TikTok shows new followers properly on other devices, then something is up with your original phone. It could be outdated software, failing hardware, or device-specific app glitches.
But if TikTok doesn’t show new followers on any device, then the underlying cause likely relates to your account or TikTok’s servers.
7. Uninstall and Reinstall TikTok
If only TikTok seems buggy while your device/other apps seem fine, try fully removing then reinstalling the TikTok app:
- iPhone: Hold your finger on the TikTok icon until icons shake > Tap the X to delete. Go to App Store, re-search for TikTok, and reinstall.
- Android: Settings > Apps > TikTok > Uninstall. Go to Play Store, search TikTok, install.
After downloading the fresh app, sign into your account. The new install will correctly sync and display data like new followers moving forward.
8. Turn Airplane Mode On/Off
Airplane mode cuts ties to cellular data networks and wifi. Turning airplane mode on essentially suspends apps and forces a fresh reconnect when it’s turned off again.
To enable airplane mode:
- On iPhone, swipe down from the top right to show Control Center > Tap the airplane icon.
- On Android, pull down the top menu > Long press the network/wifi quick-toggle buttons.
Leave airplane mode on for 60 full seconds, then switch it off again. This makes your device freshly reconnect and retrieve updated data in all apps, including refreshed follower counts in TikTok.
9. Log Out Then Back Into Your Account
If your account itself seems to be the root of notification issues, logging out then back in can reset things:
- In TikTok > Tap the profile icon > Settings & privacy > Log out
- Once logged out, close TikTok fully via task manager. Then relaunch it to sign in again using your username and password.
Signing back in forces your account data to fully reload and resync. So if your follower data was glitchy previously, signing in/out refreshes it.
10. Contact TikTok Support
If you’ve tried all other basic troubleshooting steps, the issue may require direct help from TikTok’s support team.
- In TikTok app > Profile > Settings & Privacy > Report a Problem
- Choose Report account problem > I have another account problem
- Select Have issues with followers/following tab > Can’t see my new followers
This will open a chat with TikTok’s account helpers who can further diagnose and help resolve the problem. They may spot account restrictions causing issues or identify deeper software bugs needing a fix.
I recommend first trying all the above self-troubleshooting steps before contacting support though – that gives them more context on what you’ve already tested when you do reach out for help.
Why Is Properly Tracking Followers Important?
If you made it here, you probably know why locking down an accurate follower count is so important for a TikTok creator. But as a quick recap:
- Track Content Performance
Seeing which videos and posts earn you more followers shows what types of content works best. Using this data allows you to refine your content strategy for maximum results.
- Engage With Followers
When you see new followers in real-time, that’s the perfect chance to engage with them via comments, likes, or follow backs. Quick engagement leads to more loyal, active followers long-term.
- Analyze Growth Velocity
Accurate new follower counts shows whether you’re on track to meet your growth goals. It also flags if sudden growth changes happen so you can capitalize on viral moments.
Basically, tracking real follower numbers is crucial for optimizing your content and engagement tactics over time.
TikTok Follower Tracking Tools
If TikTok itself won’t show new followers reliably even after troubleshooting, third-party tracking tools are another good option. Here are two solid ones to consider:
HypeAuditor
HypeAuditor is an in-depth Instagram and TikTok analytics platform. Their TikTok tools provide follower count tracking plus content analysis for hashtags and locations.
Pricing starts at $9/month for individuals after a 7-day free trial. They also offer discounted Team pricing for multiple accounts.
SocialTracker
SocialTracker works across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok. For TikTok specifically, they show real-time new follower counts along with deep analytics on traffic sources and audience demographics.
Plans start at $12/month for individuals, with discounts for annual purchases.
Both HypeAuditor and SocialTracker sync data via direct connections to TikTok’s API. So they remain reliable for accurate new follower tracking even if TikTok’s native apps have issues.
Recap: Get TikTok Showing New Followers Again
So in summary – here are the key troubleshooting tips to try when TikTok stops showing new followers:
- Update the TikTok app
- Restart your phone and the TikTok app
- Check notification settings are enabled
- Clear cached data/storage
- Test TikTok on another device
- Reinstall the app
- Log out then back into your account
- Enable airplane mode briefly
- Contact TikTok support if issues remain
In most cases, one or more of those fixes should get accurate TikTok follower counts back on track. But external analytics tools remain an option too for fully reliable tracking.
Stalled follower counts can definitely be frustrating. But hopefully now you have a solid game plan to get TikTok follower notifications fixed – and keep expanding your audience.
