Want to find out who you’ve followed on Instagram? The task isn’t easy because Instagram shows everyone’s following list in random order. Users with more than 500 followers find this particularly frustrating.

Instagram stopped showing followers chronologically back in June 2021. The platform lets you follow up to 7,500 accounts, but doesn’t give you a way to sort other users’ follow lists by date. Your following list order depends on several things – mutual followers, how often you interact, and what interests you share.

This piece walks you through the quickest ways to check accounts you’ve followed. You’ll learn why Instagram limits this visibility for other users. Tools like DolphinRadar can help you track following activity better. We’ll also cover important privacy aspects you should remember when monitoring Instagram activity.

How to see who you recently followed on Instagram

Want to see who you followed on Instagram lately? Instagram has a built-in feature that lets you sort your following list by time. You can easily check your personal follow history, though you can’t track other people’s activity.

Steps to sort your own following list

You can check your recent follows with these simple steps:

  1. Open your Instagram profile by tapping your profile icon
  2. Tap on “Following” at the top of your profile page
  3. Look for the sort button (appears as two arrows) next to “Sort by default”
  4. Tap on these arrows to reveal sorting options
  5. Select “Date followed: Latest” to see your most recent follows first

This feature works only on the mobile app. Instagram automatically arranges accounts alphabetically if you follow less than 200 people.

What this feature can and can’t show

The sorting feature comes with specific abilities and limits:

What it can show:

  • Your most recent follows (with “Latest” option)
  • Your very first follows (with “Earliest” option)
  • Default sorting based on relevance and interaction

What it can’t show:

  • Exact timestamps of when you followed accounts
  • Who followed you most recently (followers list doesn’t support chronological sorting)
  • Other users’ following activity in chronological order

The default sorting shows accounts based on mutual interaction. Profiles you interact with most through likes, comments, and direct messages appear at the top.

Why it’s useful for personal tracking

Your follow activity tracking serves several practical purposes. The latest sorting helps you find accounts you just started following. This makes it easy to revisit new content creators. It also helps you unfollow inactive accounts that don’t interest you anymore.

The earliest sorting option lets you see your first Instagram connections and shows how your interests changed over time. This view helps you create a better feed.

Managing your network becomes easier as you can spot accounts you follow but don’t interact with. This helps keep your Instagram experience meaningful.

Business accounts can use chronological sorting to check their relationships with influencers or see when collaborations started. This creates chances to connect again with valuable network contacts.

How to check recent following on Instagram for others

How to see recently followed on Instagram for another account? Instagram makes this tough to figure out. You can’t sort someone else’s following list by time like you can with your own. The platform values user privacy more than tracking capabilities.

Why Instagram doesn’t show this directly

The platform mixes up the order of other users’ following lists. We designed this to protect user privacy and stop people from tracking following activity too easily. Accounts with over 500 followers make it almost impossible to spot recent follows. The algorithm keeps chronological following data hidden to protect users’ privacy.

How the following list is ordered

The following list isn’t completely random, even though it’s not in time order. Mutual connections show up at the top when you look at someone else’s following list. These are the accounts that both you and the person you’re checking follow.

Several factors determine the rest of the order:

  • How often the accounts interact
  • How close they are geographically
  • Total followers and following counts
  • How active the account is and post frequency
  • Profile popularity

The order might look different depending on which device you use to check the profile.

What you can infer from the list

You can’t see someone’s recent follows directly, but there are hints. New follows might appear near the top if you check the list right after someone follows new accounts. On top of that, you might spot new interactions in comment sections or likes from accounts that weren’t active before.

The desktop browser sometimes works better than mobile. Viewing profiles through a desktop browser might show newer follows at the top of the list. All the same, none of these methods give you completely accurate results.

Best tools to see recently followed on Instagram

Specialized third-party tools provide viable solutions if manual methods don’t work to track who someone followed on Instagram. These apps show insights that Instagram’s native interface deliberately hides.

DolphinRadar: Features and usage

DolphinRadar stands out as a detailed Instagram tracking tool that works without your Instagram login credentials. You can see who someone followed in chronological order, which creates a timeline of follow activity.

To use DolphinRadar:

  1. Log in to their dashboard
  2. Enter the Instagram username you want to track
  3. Wait for the detection period to complete

The tool lets you track public accounts anonymously, so you can monitor likes, follows, and user interactions without being detected. DolphinRadar’s AI-powered analytics improve the experience and offer behavior analysis beyond simple data.

IGExport: Setup and how it works

IGExport works as both a mobile app and Chrome extension that helps you export Instagram followers and see someone’s recent follows. Unlike DolphinRadar, we designed IGExport to extract data rather than monitor continuously.

Setting up IGExport involves:

  • For mobile: Download from app stores (supports both iOS and Android)
  • For desktop: Install the Chrome extension from the Web Store

After installation, you can export follower/following lists to CSV or Excel formats with one click. The tool processes data on your computer locally, which ensures your data never passes through their servers.

Other apps to think about

Followers & Unfollowers tracker gives you another option that helps identify accounts that don’t follow you back and those you don’t follow. This tool lacks the anonymity features that other options provide.

Are these tools safe to use?

Safety remains the biggest problem with third-party Instagram tools. Many unauthorized apps ask for your Instagram password, which could lead to account compromise.

Tools that request login credentials pose serious risks including:

  • Account hacking through unauthorized access
  • Personal data being sold to third parties
  • Shadow banning from Instagram

DolphinRadar and IGExport alleviate these risks by working with publicly available data or processing information on your device locally.

Privacy and ethical considerations

Tracking who someone follows on Instagram raises ethical questions that we need to address first. A recent study shows 78% of Americans believe they can protect their information properly. This makes understanding privacy concerns and responsibilities even more significant.

Respecting others’ privacy

Instagram’s public profiles contain personal data that users share with reasonable privacy expectations. The digital world has changed, and 70% of internet users have taken steps to protect their online identity. The ability to track someone’s following activity without their knowledge raises serious questions about surveillance and digital boundaries.

How to protect your own follow list

Your following list needs protection from unwanted attention. Here’s what you can do:

  • Set your account to private, requiring approval for new followers
  • Review your followers and remove unwanted accounts regularly
  • Disable your activity status (you won’t see others’ either)
  • Use Restriction Mode for specific accounts without fully blocking them

Note that private accounts stop non-followers from seeing who you follow. This simple step works well to protect your privacy.

When it’s okay to use tracking tools

Parents might need these tools to monitor their children’s safety. Businesses can use them for legitimate market research or personal account management. Being transparent is vital—people should know if you’re tracking their activity. Whatever the technical possibilities, these practices can quickly cross ethical lines.

Instagram’s stance on third-party apps

Instagram’s warning is clear: “Be careful before giving third-party apps or websites access to your account. Never share your login information with any person or app you don’t trust”.

Instagram groups third-party apps into these categories:

  • Active: Apps used within 90 days can access your shared information
  • Expired: After 90 days of inactivity, apps lose access to non-public information
  • Removed: Apps can only access public information once removed

Instagram ended up prioritizing user control through its built-in privacy settings instead of third-party solutions.

Conclusion

Tracking someone’s recent Instagram follows is still hard to do by design. This piece shows how Instagram mixes up following lists for other users. You can’t track follows chronologically, especially with accounts having more than 500 followers. This built-in limit helps protect user privacy and stops unwanted tracking.

The good news? Checking your own recent follows is pretty simple. You can go to your profile, tap “Following,” and sort by “Date followed: Latest.” This feature works only on mobile devices and lets you keep track of your network.

Tools like DolphinRadar and IGExport can help when Instagram’s own features don’t cut it. These tools need careful thought, though. Many unofficial apps want your login details, which could put your account at risk. The safest bet is to stick with tools that only use public data or process information on your device.

Privacy should definitely shape how you track Instagram activity. Public profiles make some info available, but digital boundaries matter a lot. Making your account private is still the quickest way to keep your following activity away from prying eyes.

Instagram’s limits on viewing recent follows show how much they care about user privacy. Perfect tracking of others’ recent follows isn’t possible, but the tools and methods we’ve covered give you practical options that respect privacy. This knowledge helps you use Instagram better while protecting everyone’s digital space, whether you’re managing your network or doing legitimate research.

FAQs

Q1. Can I see who someone recently followed on Instagram?

Instagram doesn’t provide a direct way to see someone’s recent follows. The platform randomizes the order of other users’ following lists to protect privacy, making it difficult to determine recent activity, especially for accounts with over 500 followers.

Q2. How can I view my own recently followed accounts on Instagram?

You can see your own recent follows by going to your profile, tapping “Following,” and using the sort option to arrange by “Date followed: Latest.” This feature is only available on the mobile app, not on desktop.

Q3. Are there any third-party tools to track Instagram following activity?

Yes, tools like DolphinRadar and IGExport can help track following activity. However, it’s important to use these cautiously and consider privacy implications. Always prioritize tools that don’t require your Instagram login credentials for safety.

Q4. How can I protect my own Instagram following list from being tracked?

To protect your following list, you can set your account to private, which prevents non-followers from seeing who you follow. Regularly reviewing and managing your follower list and disabling your activity status can also help maintain privacy.

Q5. What’s Instagram’s policy on third-party apps for tracking activity?

Instagram warns against sharing login information with untrusted third-party apps or websites. The platform classifies third-party apps as active, expired, or removed based on usage, and limits their access to your information accordingly. It’s always safer to rely on Instagram’s built-in privacy settings.