Instagram is built to help you connect with people. From you trying to stay in touch with old friends, follow your favorite creators, or grow your network, knowing how to find contacts on Instagram can make your experience smoother and more enjoyable.
To help you do just that, Instagram gives you several simple ways to discover people you know. You can connect your phone contacts, search usernames manually, or explore the “Discover People” feature to see suggested accounts. This makes it easy to find people you know on Instagram without much effort.
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Create your own free link in bio page
Ready to simplify your online presence?
With Pushbio, you can;
- Link all your social media profiles together effortlessly.
- Showcase all your content, products, and services in one space.
- Share everything through a single link.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to find contacts on Instagram so you can quickly build your followers list with people who actually matter to you. We’ll also walk you through the other methods to help you interact with even more people.
How to find contacts on Instagram
Finding contacts on Instagram is more simple than you might imagine. With the ability to find friends from your phonebook, reconnect with old schoolmates, or find mutual connections, Instagram Makes the process seamless.
One of the easiest ways to find contacts on Instagram is by syncing your phone’s contact list. This feature allows Instagram to scan your saved phone numbers and suggest people who are already on the platform.
To sync your phone contact with Instagram, follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram app and go to your profile.
- Tap the menu icon (≡) in the top-right corner.
- Scroll down to ‘Your app and media’ section and click on ‘Device permissions’.
- On the next page, click on ‘Contacts.’ If you’ve not granted Instagram permission to your contact before, the text ‘Not allowed’ will be in front of contact.
- Click ‘Update device settings’
- tap on ‘Open device settings.’ this will open the app settings on your phone.
- from here, click on ‘Permissions’
- Scrolled down to the denied section and click on ‘Contacts’
- Click on ‘Allow’ to allow Instagram access your device contacts .
Once done, Instagram will now sync your contact list on your device and suggest friends to follow based on the contacts on you device.
What happens when you sync your phone contacts to Instagram?
When a you sync your phone contacts with Instagram, here’s what you can expect:
- Instagram will suggest people you may know based on the contacts stored on your phone.
- The app may also recommend posts, accounts, or features that match your interests using contact-based data.
- Suggestions appear as notifications or directly in your feed.
The contact list from the user’s device is regularly synced and securely stored on Instagram’s servers. Users can delete their synced contacts anytime through a computer. However, this may take up to 90 days for all synced contact data to be fully removed. During this time, recommendations may still be shown based on the existing data.
Is it safe to sync my phone contact with Instagram?
Generally, syncing your phone contact with Instagram is safe. When you sync contacts, Instagram stores them securely and uses them to suggest connections. Only you can see your contact list on Instagram, and you can delete synced contacts at any time from your settings.
However, keep in mind:
- Syncing means sharing your contacts with Instagram’s servers.
- Instagram may recommend your account to others who have your number saved.
- You can always turn syncing off or remove all synced data later.
If you’re privacy-conscious, it’s best to always review your contact settings regularly to stay in control. While syncing contacts helps Instagram offer more personalized suggestions and connections, users still have control over their data and can manage or delete it at any time..
Other ways to find contacts on Instagram
Asides from syncing your contact with Instagram, there are other means of searching for contacts on the platform. With multiple options, you are never out of the way of finding the people that matter to you.
Other methods include:
1. Using the search bar
You can also manually find someone on Instagram using the search tool. This method is especially useful if you know someone’s handle or if you want to search for friends on Instagram without syncing your contacts.
- Tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the app.
- Enter the person’s name, username, or phone number (if they’ve made it public).
- Filter by “People” to narrow your results.
A caveat when using this method is that people often use variations of their names and nicknames on Instagram. So to improve your chance of finding the right person, consider trying variations of names or nicknames.
2. Explore the “Discover People” feature
Instagram’s “Discover People” section is another useful tool to find contacts you may know. This tool has a collection of people who share similar interests with you. Instagram uses algorithms to suggest accounts based on people you follow, accounts that follow you, shared followers or interests.
To use this method, follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram app on your device.
- Scroll through your feed until you come across the ‘Suggested for you’ section
- Click on ‘see all’ to show all options
- Scroll through the list to find people you may or want to connect with.
These suggestions are automatically generated and frequently updated, so check this tab often to discover new or familiar faces.
3. Connect to Facebook
Instagram and Facebook are both part of Meta, which means they can be linked for a more seamless experience. When connected, you can bring friends from Facebook over to your Instagram so long as they have an IG account.
To link Facebook with Instagram, here is what you need to do:
- Open Instagram and go to Settings
- Tap “Accounts Center”
- Select “Add Facebook account” and log in
Asides from finding Facebook friends who also use Instagram, you also get follow suggestions based on Facebook connections. With the connection, you can also choose to share posts across both platforms.
You can manage synced Facebook contacts or unlink your account anytime under the same Accounts Center section.
4. Look through your followers and following lists
A simple but underrated way to find contacts on Instagram is by checking mutual connections. A quick glance through a friends followers list can reveal other people you might want to follow but aren’t aware of their presence on Instagram.
To do this:
- Visit a friend’s profile
- Tap “Following” or “Followers”
- Scroll through their lists to find mutual contacts
This method is helpful if you and a friend share a similar circle. You can also see who’s interacting with your friends’ posts.
This is a smart way to find mutual contacts on Instagram, especially if you don’t want to sync your phone or connect Facebook.
How to turn off contact syncing on Instagram
If you no longer want Instagram to use your phone contacts, you can easily switch it off by doing the following:
- Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture to go to your page.
- Tap the three-line menu in the top-right corner.
- Go to Settings.
- Choose Account from the list.
- Tap on Contacts syncing.
- Use the toggle switch to turn it off.
Once the above step is performed, Instagram will stop syncing your contacts going forward.
Should I follow every contact synced from my phone on Instagram?
No, you don’t have to follow everyone from your synced contacts. Syncing your phone simply shows you suggestions. It doesn’t mean you’re expected to follow all of them. Only follow people you truly want to connect with such as friends, family, colleagues, or people whose content interests you.
Also, following too many people just because they’re in your contact list can make your feed overwhelming or filled with content you don’t care about. In the end, treat Instagram as your personal space. Follow the ones you actually want to stay connected to, and ignore the rest.
FAQ
Can you find someone on Instagram using their phone number?
Yes, you can but only if you’ve synced your phone contacts with Instagram. When you do, Instagram checks which of your contacts have linked their phone number to their account and suggests them to you. However, you can’t search a phone number directly in the app’s search bar unless the user has made their number public.
Why can’t I find a contact I know on Instagram?
Not all of your contacts will appear in Instagram’s “Discover People” section. Instagram only matches contacts based on the phone numbers or email addresses saved in your phone. If someone deleted their account or used a different number or email to sign up, they won’t show up. Also, if an account is set to private or the account has blocked you, then you might not find it. Another reason could be that you haven’t synced your contacts, or syncing isn’t working properly.
Conclusion
Finding contacts on Instagram is easier than ever, thanks to multiple built-in tools. Instagram gives you several ways to connect with people you know. You can choose to sync your phone contacts, search by name, explore the “Discover People” feature, or connect your Facebook account. These methods make it quick to grow your network and reconnect with friends all from one app. Just a few taps can help you find familiar faces or discover new ones based on shared interests.
