App to See Who Has Unfollowed You on Instagram: 3 Types

Instagram does not tell you when someone stops following you. Its page How notifications work on Instagram lists new followers and follow requests among the activities that send an alert; an unfollow is not on that list. Every app or site that claims to show unfollows works the same way underneath: it compares a follower list from one day with a follower list from a later day, and reports the names that dropped out.

What differs is how the tool gets those lists. That decides what it asks from you, what it can see, and what it puts at risk. This guide is part of the Tools section of the blog, which covers checks on your own account.

The three types, side by side

Type 1: apps that ask for your Instagram login

These apps ask you to sign in with your Instagram username and password, or to connect your account, and then read your follower list for you on a schedule. They give the quickest answer, because they hold the same access you have.

That access is the problem. Instagram's help page on apps that offer likes and followers says that an app given your login, either through an access token or your username and password, can gain complete access to your account. It names what that means: the app can see your personal messages, find information about your friends, and post spam or harmful content on your profile.

Type 2: list-compare tools

A list-compare tool does not sign in as you. You give it two follower lists, from two dates, and it shows the names that are in the older list and missing from the newer one. Some tools take the files from Instagram's own export; others read the public follower list of a public account.

In the example, Claire runs a small shop under claire.example. Her export on 1 September listed four followers; the one on 1 October lists four again, but not the same four. daniel.example is gone and bakery.example is new, so the count alone would have shown no change.

A name can leave a list for more than one reason. The person unfollowed, or you removed them, or the account was deactivated, deleted or renamed. A comparison shows that a name left; it does not show which of those happened. The see who unfollowed you on Instagram page walks through reading the result.

Type 3: Instagram's own export, compared by hand

Instagram lets you export a copy of your information and choose which information goes into it. The file goes only to the device or service you pick. Instagram's help page notes that it is moving people to Meta Accounts, so you may see either Accounts Center or Meta Account settings as the place to start.

1. 1

   Open Export your information

   In Settings, open Accounts Center or Meta Account, then Your information and permissions, then Export your information.

   In the appAccounts CenterYour information and permissionsExport your information
2. 2

   Create the export

   Choose Create export, select the profile, then Export to device.

   In the appCreate exportExport to device
3. 3

   Choose the information

   Pick the followers and following information only, a date range, and a format. A smaller selection makes a smaller file.

4. 4

   Start the export

   Choose Start export. The same screen lets you set the email address that is told about the export.

5. 5

   Repeat later and compare

   Run the same export some weeks later, with the same choices, and compare the two lists.

1. 1 Sep

   First export

   Claire exports her followers and saves the file with the date in its name.

2. 1 Oct

   Second export

   Same profile, same information, same format.

3. 1 Oct

   Compare

   Names in the September file that are missing from the October one have left.

Which type to use

A drop in followers is not always an unfollow. Instagram Engagement Rate Calculator: A 30-Day Worked Log shows how to read engagement over a month, and Fake Followers Check on Instagram: A 10-Point List goes through a ten-point check on whether followers are real. Instagram Free Bot Followers: What Happened to One Shop follows one shop's case from start to finish.

What Instagram says about apps that want your login

The help page is written about apps that trade likes or followers for your login, and the reasons it gives apply to any app that holds your password. It says none of these services are affiliated with or endorsed by Instagram, and that you should not let anyone else access your Instagram account.

It also sets out what can follow. Accounts that generate inauthentic activity go against Instagram's Community Standards. Instagram may remove likes or other engagement an app generated. Accounts that keep using such apps may find parts of the account limited, and an account may be disabled or terminated.

If you have already shared your username and password with an app, the page says to change your Instagram password, and notes that you can manage the apps you have connected and remove them at any time. The pillar guide on who unfollowed me on Instagram covers the methods that need no login at all.

Questions