As you scroll through your Twitter feed, you notice something strange. You do not see any tweets (now posts) from users you followed last night. That’s strange as you swear you remember hitting the follow button on several profiles. You try again and notice you can’t follow anyone on Twitter. A Twitter can’t follow anyone message appears on your screen whenever you try to perform this action.
Why are you seeing this message in the first place? Also, is there anything you can do from your side to resolve this issue? Find out everything you must know about this problem with the help of this guide.
Why Can’t I Follow Anyone on Twitter?
The first thing on your mind is, why can’t I follow anyone on Twitter? Seeing the “Twitter can’t follow anyone” warning message is a little worrying. Fortunately, there are several ways to resolve this following issue. The solution is simple if you face issues for the reasons highlighted below. You need to wait for a while or increase your follower count. Let’s take a closer look at why you can’t follow anyone on Twitter.
1. You Can’t Follow Anyone on Twitter Due to the Platform’s Hourly or Daily Limits
Wait, Twitter has limits to how many users you can follow on the platform? Well, not exactly, as the social media platform allows you to follow as many accounts as you like. But, it does restrict how many you can follow during a specific period. If you hit this limit, this is why you can’t follow anyone on Twitter.
According to the social media network’s technical documentation, the follow limit is 400 accounts every day. The platform introduced this limitation to reduce spam. It’s hard to hit this number in one day unless you use some sort of automation tool.
It’s possible for businesses, but that’s because they interact with many users every day. Similarly, there’s also an hourly limit on how many users you can follow. Although the platform doesn’t specify this figure, you can do the math. From the above section, you can follow 400 accounts every 24 hours. You must follow about 16.66 (400/24) every hour to hit this figure. This is only an assumption as it may differ in reality.
Another reason the platform has limits is to ensure the website is stable for everyone. So what should you do if you can’t follow anyone because of this restriction? The rule of thumb is to wait an hour after seeing this message. If you’re still seeing the error message, wait for 24 hours. By the end of this period of time, you will be able to follow more accounts.
2. You Can’t Follow Anyone on X Due to a Low Follow Ratio
A common reason why you can’t follow anyone on Twitter is because of the platform’s follow ratio limit. However, this figure only comes into play if you try to follow more than 5,000 users. What does this mean? The platform has a ratio you need to meet to follow over 5,000 accounts. This ratio is the number of users you follow to the number of accounts who follow you back. The social media network doesn’t have an absolute figure for this ratio. In other words, you’ll have to figure it out yourself through trial and error.
It may seem like a 1:1 ratio is a good starting point. However, this is quite hard to achieve, as not everyone will follow you back.
So, what should you do if you can’t follow anyone due to this ratio limit? There are three solutions to fix this issue:
- You can increase your follower count. There are several ways to do this. For instance, try boosting a tweet, especially a post with high engagement. Another way to get more followers is to improve the quality of your content. You can follow trends and tailor your posts along these lines.
- Unfollow users who don’t follow you back. If some accounts are inactive, remove them from your following list. CircleBoom has a Twitter management tool to help you find these types of users.
- You can also create Twitter lists and add more accounts whose tweets you want to read. This is a great way to stay up-to-date without hitting the follow ratio limit. You can add a maximum of 5000 users to your list. Twitter also allows you to pin your list and make it a separate feed.
3. You Can’t Follow Anyone on Twitter Because of Tweet Protection
Does this mean you can’t follow anyone on Twitter if you enable tweet protection? No, but it’s possible this feature is why you don’t see an increase in the following count. It is a privacy feature where you can make your profile private. As a result, users have to send you a follow request to become a follower.
If you come across accounts with tweet protection, you also need to send a follow request. Until they approve your request, you won’t be able to see their posts. In this case, check if the person you tried to follow has tweet protection. Check if they have a lock icon next to their name.
Why Can’t I Follow Anyone on Twitter Suspension?
Do you see a suspended or locked account message from Twitter when you log in to your account? This means you constantly engage in practices that clearly violate the platform’s rules. The platform may allow you to appeal this decision by contacting Twitter customer service. However, there is no guarantee that it will work. What is the answer to why can’t I follow anyone on Twitter suspension? It’s due to the following three reasons:
1. Can’t Follow Anyone Because of a Third-Party Service
When you use a third-party service, it can be a risky proposition. Why? Your account will suffer if they don’t follow the platform’s rules. For example, several third-party services promise to help you acquire more followers to get around the follow ratio limit. Although this seems like a good idea, you should avoid this practice at all costs.
It is against Twitter’s rules to buy followers. Similarly, third-party services will also claim to help you follow as many accounts as possible. They do so by using a script or automation feature. Unfortunately, this is also a violation of the platform’s automation policies.
In this case, the only thing you can do is stop using any tools that break the platform’s rules and policies. You may have to wait a few days to follow accounts again.
If you want to use third-party services, only stick with reliable brands like Circleboom and HootSuite. They take great care to ensure their services don’t violate the platform’s rules. Also, check out the review of any service provider before granting them access to your account.
2. Can’t Follow Because of the Follow Churn
The follow button exists to allow you to customize your home feed. However, there are users and spam accounts who misuse this feature. They try the aggressive follower churn technique with the hope of trying to increase their follower count.
What is the follow churn technique? It is a practice where a Twitter user will follow hundreds of accounts. Generally, there is no method or theme to the kinds of accounts they follow. From a glance, it looks like they follow random accounts.
However, the purpose is not to curate their feed. Instead, they want the accounts they follow to follow them back. Once this happens, the user will unfollow these accounts. This is what Twitter calls follow churn, which is against the platform’s rules.
Usually, the fix is to wait until you can use the follow feature again. Also, you should avoid this practice at all costs. In extreme cases, the platform will permanently suspend your account. As a result, you won’t be able to access your profile again.
3. Can’t Follow Anyone on Twitter Due To Unethical Follow Practices
Like the follow churn technique, there are other practices that you must know about. For starters, don’t try to follow a large number of random accounts. This means there is no relation between you and the profile you follow. It is okay to a certain extent. Why? The main reason why people are on Twitter is to follow public figures, celebrities and brands. They also want to stay up-to-date with the latest developments around the world. However, if you automate who you follow, the platform will know and prevent you from following more users.
Another unethical follow practice is trying to replicate another account’s followers. Usually, you can do this by running various automation scripts. Again, the social media network will notice this behavior and take action against your account.
You should also not ask users if they want to exchange follows for engagement. What does this mean? As you scroll through Twitter, you’ll see comments where a user asks you to like their post in exchange for a follow. Or the person will say they will follow you if you retweet (now repost) their post. This type of activity comes under artificial inflation and engagement. As a result, you’ll see a message saying you can’t follow anyone on Twitter.
What To Do When You Have a Locked Account?
Usually, when you break Twitter’s rules and policies, the platform will restrict your account. This means you won’t be able to use several features, especially the follow button. In this case, the platform will let you know why it locked your profile.
Also, the social media network will give you a series of instructions depending on how severe your violation is.
Let’s assume the platform locked your account because it looks like you’re automating who you follow. In this instance, you’ll have to verify your account. This means you must show Twitter that you have access to your account. Also, it is a way for the social media network to see if the user is a bot or a human.
There are two ways to prove you’re the account’s actual owner.
- You need to solve a captcha challenge. This means you’ve to prove you’re not a bot. Log in to your account and start the verification process. The platform will let you know what you’ve to do. If the social media network can confirm that you’re human, you’ll regain access to your account.
- The second option is to verify your email address or phone number. This depends on the information you give Twitter. If you use your email, the platform will send a verification code to it. You need to enter this code to regain access to your Twitter account. The process is similar if you use your phone number. Twitter will send the code via SMS or a phone call.
After you complete these steps, you won’t see the can’t follow anyone on Twitter warning message.
What Should You Do When Twitter Limits Your Account?
Regaining access is a different process if you can’t follow anyone on Twitter due to a limited account. This happens when the platform notices suspicious behavior in your profile. For example, you follow a large number of random accounts.
In this instance, it is easy to restore all the features. You need to verify your Twitter account’s email address or phone number. The platform will ask you to share the verification code.Otherwise, you have to wait for a period of time for the limitations to expire. How long you have to wait depends on the violation.
Sometimes, you won’t see the verification method. This is because you broke the platform’s rules repeatedly. In this case, the only option is to wait out the limitation.
The platform will also limit your account if you break its rules. In this case, it’s probably because of unethical follow practices or follow churn.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to regain access immediately. The platform will ask you to authenticate your details via your email address or phone number. After you complete this process, you need to start the countdown.
Until the countdown is over, Twitter can’t follow anyone messages will always continue to appear. Also, the platform may only allow you to engage with your followers via direct messages. You won’t be able to follow, unfollow, tweet or retweet.
Twitter can also limit your account when your tweets break the platform’s policies. TweetEraser can help you avoid this situation at all costs. How? It has an auto-delete feature that scans your posts for specific words and phrases you provide. If it notices these terms, it will delete your posts. Ensure Twitter doesn’t limit or lock your account by using TweetEraser today!
