TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. A key feature of TikTok is the ability to send follow requests to connect with other users on the app.
However, sometimes the TikTok follow request feature stops working properly. You may try to send a request, only to find it doesn’t go through or the user never receives it. Or the option to send a request doesn’t even show up.
Not being able to send follow requests can prevent you from building your network and audience on TikTok. It essentially cuts you off from the core social aspects that make the platform so engaging.
In this detailed guide, we’ll cover all the potential reasons your TikTok follow requests may not be working or showing. We’ll also provide in-depth troubleshooting steps to get the feature functioning again, so you can send requests seamlessly.
Why Is My TikTok Follow Request Not Working?
There are a number of possible reasons why TikTok follow requests may suddenly stop functioning, including:
Account Restrictions
If your account has been restricted by TikTok due to violations of community guidelines, the ability to send follow requests may be temporarily disabled. Check your account status under settings and resolve any pending violations.
Age Limitations
Users under the age of 16 have certain TikTok features disabled, including follow requests in some cases. You may need to verify your age to re-enable requests.
Privacy Settings
If the user you’re trying to send a request to has adjusted their privacy settings, they may have disabled the ability to receive requests from non-followers.
One-Sided Connection Issues
Sometimes issues with send requests are user-specific. The feature may work fine for others, indicating a problem on your account’s end.
Follow Request Limit Reached
TikTok limits the number of unanswered follow requests you can have pending at one time as an anti-spam measure. Try waiting for previous requests to be accepted.
Buggy or Outdated App
Like any app, TikTok can have bugs that cause features to malfunction. Or you may be using an outdated version in need of an update.
Account Suspension
If your TikTok account was suspended, most account features including follow requests will be temporarily inaccessible until resolved.
Server Outages
During periods of widespread technical issues with TikTok’s servers, follow requests may fail to send properly for all users.
As you can see, issues tend to either be isolated account-specific problems or temporary widespread outages. Let’s explore each potential reason in greater detail.
Having covered all the potential causes in detail, let’s move on to step-by-step troubleshooting tactics you can take to resolve non-working follow requests.
How to Fix TikTok Follow Request Not Working or Showing
If your TikTok follow requests are not working, here are some troubleshooting steps to identify and resolve the underlying cause:
1. Check Your Internet Connection
Ensure you have a stable internet connection on both Wi-Fi and cellular data before further troubleshooting. Follow requests rely on access to TikTok’s online servers.
Poor internet connectivity is one of the most common reasons TikTok features fail to work or load data correctly.
To test your connection:
On mobile devices:
- Try loading Instagram or Facebook. If posts load slowly, connection is poor.
- Toggle between Wi-Fi and cellular data to compare speeds.
- Run a speed test app to measure bandwidth. Aim for at least 3-5mbps speeds.
- Move closer to Wi-Fi routers or access points to maximize signal strength.
Ideally use Wi-Fi with a strong signal, or cellular data with full bars and LTE/4G or 5G connectivity. Weak coverage can interfere with TikTok functionality.
If internet access is unstable, boost your signal strength or wait until connectivity improves before further follow request troubleshooting.
2. Check for App Updates
One of the easiest steps is to check you have installed the latest version of the TikTok app from your device’s app store.
App updates frequently contain bug fixes, performance improvements, and patches for issues with features like follow requests.
Open your device’s app store, search for TikTok, and check if there are any pending updates. Install any available updates and then test follow requests again.
Having the most up-to-date version of the app eliminates it as a potential cause of issues.
3. Force Quit and Restart the TikTok App
Double check that simply force quitting and restarting the TikTok app does not resolve the missing or non-functional follow requests.
To force quit the app:
On iPhones:
- Double tap the home button to open the app switcher
- Swipe up on the TikTok preview to force close it
On Android devices:
- Open the Recent Apps menu
- Swipe the TikTok app preview to the right or left to dismiss it
Then reopen TikTok from your home screen and try sending a follow request again.
Sometimes a basic app restart clears out minor bugs or glitches preventing follow requests from working properly. Test if the issue persists after restarting.
4. Clear TikTok App Cache and Data
Corrupted app cache and data files can sometimes cause TikTok features to malfunction and serve up errors.
Clearing this temporary usage information often fixes random issues like non-working follow requests.
To clear the cache and data on iPhone:
- Open Settings and select “General.”
- Tap on iPhone Storage.
- Select TikTok from the list of apps.
- Tap Offload App and confirm thee action to clear the cache.
To clear cache and data on Android:
- Open Settings then proceed to “App List” or “Apps.”
- Select TikTok.
- Tap “Storage & cache” then proceed to “Clear Cache.”
This forces TikTok to rebuild its temporary usage files from scratch. Test follow requests again once this process completes. Clearing this clutter often mitigates obscure bugs.
5. Log Out and Log Back Into TikTok
A simple logout and relogin can refresh your account’s connection and potentially fix follow request difficulties.
To log out:
- Tap your profile icon in the bottom right of the app
- Select the three line menu button in the top right
- Choose Log Out.
Confirm logging out of your account when prompted.
Stay logged out for around one minute before inputting your username and password to log back in.
Re-authenticating your account essentially re-syncs everything, which may resolve follow request failures server-side.
6. Switch to a Different Internet Connection
If you continue experiencing issues even with a strong Wi-Fi or cellular data signal, try switching to a completely different internet source.
For example, if on Wi-Fi, disable Wi-Fi and use only cellular data instead. Or visit a friend’s house and connect to their Wi-Fi network.
The change in internet service provider often resolves connection-related issues. Particularly if switching cellular carriers or using a public Wi-Fi network.
This tests whether something with your specific internet provider is blocking proper TikTok functionality such as firewall restrictions or network configurations.
A successful follow request on another network points to a problem with your regular ISP rather than your device. Contact them for troubleshooting.
7. Toggle Off VPN or Proxy Settings
If you connect through a VPN or proxy for privacy reasons, try disabling it temporarily to rule out interference.
VPN and proxy connections can sometimes disrupt traffic to sites and apps, causing features to malfunction.
Toggle off the VPN or proxy and reconnect directly to the internet via your normal network. Then attempt sending a follow request again.
If it succeeds without the VPN or proxy active, you know one of those services is causing the issue. Contact their customer support for help troubleshooting.
VPNs and proxies add extra links in the connectivity chain that can break traffic. Bypass them as part of troubleshooting.
8. Update Your Account’s Privacy Settings
Double-check that your TikTok account’s privacy settings are not inadvertently blocking your ability to send follow requests.
Under your profile, tap the 3-dot menu button and select Privacy. Ensure these settings are configured:
- Private account is switched OFF. Follow requests require a public account.
- Allow others to find me is enabled to permit incoming requests.
- Allow others to follow me is also enabled.
- Suggest your account to others is enabled to maximize discoverability.
Adjust any other privacy settings as desired, but make sure to keep the above options on to avoid limiting incoming TikTok follow requests.
Updating these could restore follow requests if you had previously disabled them for privacy reasons. Public access is required for full request abilities.
9. Verify Your Age Settings
As mentioned previously, TikTok places certain restrictions around accounts registered by users under 16 years old.
Ensure that your account’s age is set properly if you registered when younger than 16.
Go to your TikTok profile and tap Edit Profile. Scroll down and tap Edit next to the Age field.
Update your age if it is currently incorrect:
- If now over 18, change Age to 18+
- If between 16 and 18, input your real date of birth
You will have to verify your age with facial recognition or ID upload. This ensures TikTok applies restrictions appropriately.
Correcting your age can lift limitations like disabled follow requests if you were incorrectly still listed as under 16 despite being older now.
10. Check for Account Bans or Restrictions
If your account has been banned or placed under restrictions by TikTok, follow requests will be disabled.
Check your account status by going to your profile, tapping the 3-dot menu button, and choosing Report a Problem.
Scroll down to the Account section and see if any restrictions or bans are noted, such as:
- Account banned or restricted: Full suspension, usually requiring an appeal to reverse.
- Limited video visibility: Your new videos require approval before being shown publicly.
- Limited account functionality: Certain features like follow requests are disabled temporarily.
- Limited commenting ability: You can’t post comments on others’ content.
If any restrictions or bans are active, resolve them to restore full account functionality:
- Waiting it out: Minor restrictions like limited commenting ability lift after 30 days if no more violations occur.
- Deleting violating content: Remove any posts that violate guidelines and led to restrictions. Restrictions lift within 24 hours in most cases.
- Filing appeals: For severe account bans, you must submit an appeal with TikTok detailing the circumstances and explaining why your account should be reinstated.
Essentially, read TikTok’s emails about any restrictions closely and take the steps necessary to have penalties removed. This will re-enable features like follow requests.
11. Try Follow Requests on a Different Device
To isolate whether the follow request issues are tied specifically to your mobile device, attempt sending requests through a different device entirely.
For example, install the TikTok app on a friend’s smartphone or use TikTok on a laptop via the website at tiktok.com.
Then attempt sending follow requests from that other device while logged into your account.
If you can send requests normally from another device, it indicates something is misconfigured on your original phone or tablet causing the problem.
But if follow requests fail everywhere, it points to your TikTok account itself having issues, not any specific device.
Testing on alternate devices helps narrow down where the core issue originates.
12. Contact TikTok Customer Support
If you have tried all other troubleshooting steps without success, reach out directly to TikTok for additional help.
You can submit technical support requests by:
- Tapping your profile, then the 3-line menu, then Support.
- Filling in the form at support.tiktok.com
- Emailing [email protected]
- Downloading the TikTok Support app on iOS or Android
In your request, provide as many details as possible about the issue and troubleshooting done so far. List the devices affected, any error messages seen, and the most likely cause based on your tests.
The more information supplied, the better TikTok Support can diagnose any remaining account-specific issues and provide specialized troubleshooting advice.
Direct technical assistance from TikTok themselves is the last resort once all standard DIY steps have been exhausted to no avail.
13. Perform a Fresh TikTok Install
If all else fails, your last resort may be deleting and fully reinstalling the TikTok app as a fresh start.
On iPhones or iPads:
- Delete the TikTok app from your Home screen
- Go to the App Store and redownload TikTok
- When prompted, log back into your account
On Android devices:
- Open Settings > Apps & Notifications
- Find and select TikTok
- Tap Uninstall to remove it
- Open the Play Store and reinstall TikTok
- Log back in when launched
This will wipe your locally stored data and cache files and essentially give you a clean slate. Any corrupted files could potentially be cleared.
Reinstalling the app often resolves persistent glitches that can’t be explained any other way. Fingers crossed this final hail mary does the trick if no other fixes work!
How to Avoid Follow Request Issues in the Future
Once you get follow requests functioning again, here are some tips to avoid further issues going forward:
- Maintain a strong Wi-Fi or cellular data connection at all times when using TikTok.
- Keep the TikTok app updated whenever new versions are released in your device’s app store.
- Periodically log out and back into your TikTok account to refresh the connection.
- Clear the cache and data every few weeks to wipe clutter that could cause problems.
- Avoid VPNs and proxy connections that can interfere with TikTok’s traffic.
- Carefully follow TikTok’s community guidelines to prevent restrictions on your account.
- Limit your pending follow requests to well below the maximum to prevent hitting the cap.
- Use TikTok’s built-in reporting tools if you encounter ongoing technical issues.
By being proactive, you can avoid most causes of follow request failures before they happen. But this troubleshooting guide should help get things working again smoothly if any issues pop up.
Conclusion
TikTok follow requests failing or not showing up can certainly be frustrating. But in most cases, the problems can be resolved with focused troubleshooting.
Carefully go through each step outlined here to identify and eliminate potential causes from app bugs to account limitations and more.
With the right combination of fixes, you should be able to get TikTok follow requests working properly again. Just stay persistent and methodical in your issue resolution.
Hopefully this guide provides a comprehensive resource anytime your TikTok follow requests start malfunctioning.
