How to check if two Instagram accounts follow each other
By the Stalkie teamUpdated · 5 min read
Quick answer
Open the first profile's Following list and search for the second account, then do the same the other way around: if both searches find the other, they follow each other. Instagram shows no dates on other people's lists, so it can't tell you since when.
Instagram has no button that answers whether two people follow each other. The answer is there, though, in each one's Following list, as long as both lists are visible to you.
This guide shows the two searches that answer it, what a one-way follow can mean, why Instagram can't say since when, and how to see the accounts two people both follow.
Check it on Instagram in two searches
- Open the first person's profile and tap Following.
- Type the second person's username in the search box at the top of the list.
- Open the second person's profile and search their Following list for the first.
If both searches find the other account, they follow each other. If only one does, the follow goes one way. Searching a list doesn't notify anyone.
Search by username, not by name: the box matches both, but a display name can be anything, and a username is unique.
When only one of them follows the other
A one-way follow is common and usually means little. A few cases look like one even when they aren't:
- A pending request. If the account is private, a follow stays as a request until it's accepted, and it doesn't show in the list until then.
- A list you can't see. On a private profile you don't follow, the Following list doesn't open at all, so you can't check that side.
- A renamed account. If someone changed their username, search for the new one; the old name finds nothing.
Since when do they follow each other?
Instagram doesn't say. Other people's lists carry no follow dates, and the order of the list isn't chronological either; see what the order of a following list means.
The only way to date a follow is to have seen the list before it happened. That's what a tracker does: it reads the list several times a day, so when a name appears, it knows roughly when. A follow from before tracking started can't be dated by anyone.
Which accounts they both follow
Instagram doesn't show what two other people have in common. The “Followed by” line on a profile only names people you follow, so it says nothing about the two of them.
By hand, you'd have to go through one list and search for each name in the other. That works for a few dozen names; for two lists of a thousand, it doesn't.
See it all on one screen
When both profiles are ones you watch, Stalkie's Side by side answers all three questions at once: whether they follow each other, since when, and who they both follow, the newest first.
- @friend.example followed @sample.profile backOct 20
- Both now follow @studio.exampleOct 18
- Both follow @city.cafe.exampleBefore tracking
Dates appear only for follows the tracker saw happen; the rest were already there when tracking started.
| Question | On Instagram | With a tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Do they follow each other? | Yes, with two searches | Yes, on one screen |
| Since when? | No, there are no dates | Only for follows after tracking started |
| Who do they both follow? | Only by comparing both lists by hand | Yes, the whole list |
It only works on public profiles and doesn't need your Instagram password; see how to choose a safe tracker.
What following each other does and doesn't mean
Instagram suggests mutual connections and people follow back out of politeness, so two accounts following each other is often just two people who met once. A date helps more than the fact: a follow back the day after a party says more than one from three years ago.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell if two people follow each other on Instagram?
Search the first person's Following list for the second, then the second's for the first. If both searches find the other, they follow each other.
Can I see when two people started following each other?
Not on Instagram, which shows no dates on other people's lists. A tracker can date a follow only if it was already reading the list when the follow happened.
Can I see mutual followers between two Instagram accounts?
Instagram only shows the followers you have in common with an account, not what two other accounts share. Stalkie compares the accounts two profiles follow, not their followers.
Will they know I checked?
No. Opening and searching a public Following list doesn't notify anyone, and neither does a tracker reading it.
Does it work on private profiles?
Only if you already follow them, because otherwise the list doesn't open. A tracker can only read public profiles; one that promises a private list is lying.
Why does one follow the other but not back?
It's often just a follow that wasn't returned. It can also be a pending request to a private account, or a username that changed.
