Suggested posts connect you with Instagram users and posts you may like. The application takes your geographical location and hashtags, among other tools, to identify your preferences.
However, many users don’t like receiving suggested posts in their feeds and want to stop them from showing up. In this article, you’ll learn how to eliminate the suggested posts from your Instagram feed.
How to Hide Suggested Posts
Whenever you find a suggested post in your Instagram feed that you’re not interested in, you can choose to hide it. In the process, you’ll let Instagram know not to show you those kinds of posts anymore.
Here’s how to hide suggested posts:
- On the suggested post you want to hide, click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner.
- Tap on “Not Interested.” You’ll then have three alternatives:
- Click on the “X” to stop seeing suggested posts related to the same topic.
- Click on “Aa” to stop any suggestions with certain words.
- Click the “Clock icon” to turn off all suggested posts for 30 days.
Is It Possible to Hide Advertisements?
To hide advertisements, the process is similar. Only in this case there is no way to stop them for a certain period.
Here’s how to eliminate an advertisement from your feed:
- Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the advertisement.
- On the pop-up menu, you’ll find several alternatives:
- Hide advertisement.
- Report advertisement. Use this if the post is offensive, sexually inappropriate, implies fraud, or relates to politics.
- You can discover why Instagram thought you’d be interested in the advertisement.
- You can get further information on the Instagram account in charge of the advertisement campaign.
- Get general information on how Instagram ads work.
How to Get Rid of Suggested Reels
Instagram may suggest not only posts but also reels. If you’re not interested in the suggested reels, you can hide them with specific hashtags or captions with specific words, emojis, and phrases. This feature is only available in the Instagram app for iPhone and Android. Follow these steps to hide unwanted suggested reels:
- On the reel you want to hide, click on the three dots in the lower right corner.
- Tap “Not Interested.” Next, you’ll have three alternatives.
- Tap on “Don’t suggest publications of…” if you don’t want to receive any more suggested reels from that user.
- Tap on “Aa” to inform Instagram that you don’t want to see suggested posts with specific words, phrases, or emojis. Type every word or emoji you want in the pop-up menu, separating them with a comma. (Example: word1, word2, emoji). Tap on “Done.”
- Tap “This post made me uncomfortable” to inform Instagram about sensitive topics.
Note that all these changes can take up to 24hrs to be activated in your account. The list of words, emojis, phrases, and hashtags you include in the list won’t hide the reels of the users you follow, even if they contain one of the elements from the list.
Why Do I See Suggested Posts?
Several factors determine the suggested posts on your Instagram feed and navigation page. Here’s the information Instagram uses to determine the posts you might be interested in:
- Your connections. Instagram pays close attention to the accounts you follow and your activity with those accounts, including liked and shared photographs. Your interest in certain accounts will make Instagram show you similar posts and related accounts.
- Your activity. On occasion, it’s not necessary to follow an account to let Instagram know you’re interested in a specific topic. Your liked photographs, comments, and shared posts are also used to determine your interests.
- Valuable posts. Your activity on Instagram isn’t the only factor that will bring a suggested post to your feed. If a post gets high recognition and many people interact with it, Instagram will add it to your feed as a trending topic, so you don’t miss out.
- Important account. When a user’s account becomes popular, Instagram will suggest it to you on your feed. This account may or may not be related to your interests.
Why Do I See Suggested Accounts?
Suggested accounts regularly appear on your Instagram feed. This is the information the platform uses to choose the accounts that show up on your feed:
- Contact list. If you’ve granted Instagram access to your phone’s contact list, the app will automatically look for every one of their accounts and suggest them to you.
- Unfollowed users. If you’ve followed an Instagram user for a certain period and then deleted it, Instagram will often show it in the suggested accounts bar.
- People you might know. When you have many followers and follows in common with an Instagram user, the app will pick up that you may know that user and suggest it to you.
How to Turn Off Suggested Accounts
Here’s a straightforward way to eliminate a suggested Instagram account you don’t want to follow:
- Locate the sidebar with suggested accounts.
- On the upper right corner of each suggested account, you’ll find an “X.” Click on it and that user won’t be suggested anymore. Note that there’s no way back from this decision. To follow that account, you must look for it in the browser.
If you want to speed up the elimination of suggested users, you can follow these steps:
- On the “Discover People” bar, click “See All” in the upper right corner.
- A new tab will open with your suggested accounts. From the list, you can click on the little “X” next to each account you don’t want to follow.
FAQs
How do I clear Instagram search suggestions when typing?
There’s no way to erase the suggestions when typing something on the search bar. Even after erasing your search history, Instagram will make suggestions on accounts that may interest you related to your search topic.
How do I clear my Instagram cache?
If you have an iPhone, the only way to clear your cache will be to uninstall and reinstall the app. On Android phones, however, follow these steps:
1. Go to “Settings,” then “Apps.” Under “Other Apps,” you’ll find Instagram.
2. Next, click “Storage” and tap “Clear Cache.”
Remember that the app will be reset, so you’ll not only be clearing your cache. but lose all your saved photos and posts.
Are my suggested accounts users that visit my profile?
There’s no way to determine if the accounts Instagram suggests to you are users that visit your profile. However, Instagram uses other parameters to choose your suggested users, such as the friends you have in common, the hashtags you use, and your geographical location.
How do I appear in someone’s suggestions?
There’s no specific method to appear on other users’ suggested boxes. However, you can increase your account’s reach by following similar accounts, posting valuable, high-quality content, and using relevant hashtags.
Why can’t I see suggested posts on my feed?
While some users want to get rid of Instagram’s suggested posts, others like to navigate through the platform to find new accounts related to their interests. If you have your suggested posts feature activated and you can’t see them, that’s probably an issue related to the app. The best solution is to uninstall and reinstall Instagram. On occasion, the source of the problem is that the application is down. In that case, you just need to wait for the problem to be rectified.
Suggest Me Not
Instagram is a social network orientated to connect people with similar interests. However, some users don’t want to see suggestions while navigating through their feeds. Fortunately, Instagram offers several ways to eliminate suggested posts. Although not a permanent option, you can turn off the recommended posts for 30 days.
Have you ever got rid of suggested posts on Instagram? Did you use any of the tips featured in this article? Let us know in the comments section below.