How To Unfriend on TikTok: Spring-Clean Your Following List 

Friends on TikTok are accounts that follow you, and you follow back. As a creator, you may feel compelled to return a follow out of courtesy. You may also want to know how to unfriend on TikTok when the “friendship” proves pointless or even unhealthy. 

These accounts may not always fit your definition of a “friend.” And it’s perfectly alright to cut ties with certain types of people on social media. 

Keep reading to learn more!

How To Unfriend Someone on TikTok Without Them Knowing

There are two ways to unfriend on TikTok. Remember that TikTok friends are mutual followers. So, unfriending can mean unfollowing someone or removing them from your follower list. You can also do both. 

And if you’ve been wondering how to unfriend someone on TikTok without them knowing, you’re in luck. The person won’t know when you unfollow them. However, when you remove them from your follower list, they’ll realize it sooner or later. 

TikTok does not send users a notification when somebody unfollows them or removes them as a follower. The person you removed as a follower may soon notice that they’re no longer seeing your posts on their feed. A bit of investigation will tell them what happened. 

When they check their own Following and Follower lists, they’ll figure out that you unfriended them. 

Let’s look at your two options for how to unfriend someone on TikTok.

How To Unfriend on TikTok on iPhone or Android: Unfollowing an Account

Are you ready to curate your Following list? Unfollowing accounts on TikTok actually helps reformulate your For You feed (FYF, also known as For You Page or FYP). You’ll stop seeing content from the unfollowed accounts, and it will also inform TikTok of your new preferences. 

Here’s how to unfriend on TikTok on iPhone or Android from your profile:

1. Go to your Profile. 
2. Tap the Following tab below your profile pic and username. 
3. Tap the Following button next to the user you want to unfollow. 

You can also unfriend/unfollow an account when you see their video on your For You or Following feed. Here’s how to do it:

1. On the video of the person you want to unfollow, tap their username at the bottom. You can also tap their profile pic on the right. This will take you to their profile page. 
2. Tap the person icon below their profile pic and username to unfollow them. 

Alternatively, you can search for the person using their username via TikTok’s search tool: 

1. On your feed, tap the magnifying glass in the top right.
2. Enter the username in the search bar, then tap Search. 
3. From the Top results or Users results, find the correct account, then tap the Following button next to the user. 

How To Unfriend on TikTok: Removing Followers

Fake accounts, followers who post inappropriate or hateful comments, or those who spam your inbox and posts with suspicious links. These are just some of the types of people you may want to remove from your Follower list. 

Fake accounts make you look bad and may diminish your credibility. Followers who sow negativity and antagonize other users may negatively impact your engagement and relationship with your fans. Whenever you spot these types of users, you should immediately check if they’re among your followers and remove them promptly. 

Unfollowing a follower on TikTok is another reason to remove them from the list. When you unfriend someone, you’ll stop seeing their posts; but they’ll still see yours and be able to engage with you. If you cease content visibility and interactions both ways, you should also take them off your list of followers. 

Here’s how to do it from your profile:

1. Go to your Profile. 
2. Tap the Followers tab below your profile pic and username.
3. Tap the three dots beside the user you want to remove. 
4. Tap Remove this follower. 

Follow these steps to remove a follower via their post on your feed:

1. Tap their username or profile pic on the video to go to their profile page. 
2. Tap the arrow icon in the top right. 
3. Tap Remove this follower at the bottom. 

Again, you can also do a TikTok search using the person’s username to remove them as a follower. 

Another option is to mass-block people from your Comments section. Blocking users completely cuts off their access to you and your content. This is the best step to take when dealing with bullies, spam or bot accounts, and other undesirable characters. 

Sustain Rewarding Relationships on TikTok

As your TikTok community grows, so does your risk of exposure to users who may not be good for it. It may also happen that followers you follow back turn out to be the types of people you wouldn’t normally socialize with. 

When you’re just starting your TikTok journey, it’s common practice and a good networking strategy to follow back followers. However, when you feel that certain connections are not adding value to your online/real life, it’s okay to cut these ties. 

Building connections is crucial to growing your online presence. However, the quality of these connections is more important than the quantity. 

It’s important to weed out followers or followed accounts that may be “toxic” to your creative process or the community dynamic. Knowing how to unfriend on TikTok is one way to maintain a healthy and positive community. 

Another way is to keep your audience targeting as precise as possible. Build a following that consists of genuinely interested users who’ll only deliver positive engagement.

Need help fine-tuning your targeting strategy? Sign up for a High Social plan and sharpen your targeting power with their advanced, proprietary AI technology. Instantly connect with users whose interests align with yours and are likely to become lifelong fans. 

Start growing your TikTok today! 

TikTok 101