You know how it is, you’re scrolling through your Instagram feed, admiring the flawless selfies, breathtaking landscapes, and gourmet dishes when suddenly you realize something. That one person who always seemed to have the most interesting posts hasn’t appeared on your feed for a while. Could you have been blocked? Here are ten ways to tell. Just remember, social media can be a strange beast, so don’t take it too personally.
1. Search for their profile
Start simple. The quickest way to check if someone has blocked you is to look for their profile. Go to the search bar, type their username and if their profile doesn’t appear at all, you might have been blocked. If they’ve changed their privacy settings to a private account, you might not be able to find them either, so don’t jump to conclusions.
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2. Check through a mutual friend’s profile
If you have a mutual friend with the person you suspect has blocked you, check their profile. Look for any interaction with the suspected blocker. If you click on the username and it doesn’t redirect to their profile, there’s a chance you’ve been blocked.
3. Attempt to follow them
If you’re not sure if their account is private or they have blocked you, try following them. If you’ve been blocked, you won’t be able to follow them.
4. Try to direct message them
Instagram’s direct messaging system has its quirks. If someone has blocked you, your messages will be left at “seen” status and never proceed to “delivered”. It’s a handy way to check, but remember, technical glitches can also cause this.
5. Check your previous comments
Did you previously comment on one of their posts? If they’ve blocked you, your comment will be hidden. Go back to the post, if you can still see your comment, then you’re safe. If not, well, you may have been blocked.
6. Look at Tagged Photos
You might have noticed that when a person is tagged in a photo, their username is clickable, redirecting you to their profile. If you’ve been blocked, this won’t be the case. Find a photo where you know they’ve been tagged. This could be in your feed, or perhaps a mutual friend’s account. If their username is no longer clickable, or if the tag has been entirely removed, that’s another signal you’ve been blocked.
7. Use a Different Account
If you have another Instagram account or have a friend willing to help, this is a definitive way to find out if you’ve been blocked. Log into the other account and search for the username in question. If their profile, posts, and story updates are visible on this account, but not on your primary one, it’s a clear sign that your main account has been blocked.
8. Stories and Story Highlights
Instagram Stories are photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours. They appear in a row at the top of your follower’s Instagram feeds and are a way for users to share moments from their lives without populating their main feed. When someone you follow posts a new story, their profile picture will have a colorful ring around it.
How Stories Relate to Being Blocked:
- Disappearance of Stories: If you previously saw someone’s stories regularly and they suddenly disappear from the row of stories at the top of your feed, it’s possible you have been blocked. However, it’s essential to note other possibilities too, such as the person might have stopped posting stories, or they could have set their stories to a close friends list, and you’re not on it.
- Unable to Access from Profile: Another way to check is by visiting their profile directly. If they have an active story, you’ll see their profile picture outlined with a colored ring. If you try to tap on it and can’t view the story, it’s an indication that you might be blocked. However, if there’s no ring around their profile photo, they might not have an active story at the moment.
Instagram Story Highlights:
Story Highlights are curated clips from a user’s Stories that can be saved into themed folders on their profile. They offer a way to preserve certain stories beyond the standard 24-hour period.
How Story Highlights Relate to Being Blocked:
- Invisibility of Highlights: If you know someone had Story Highlights on their profile and now you can’t see them, it could be an indication that you’ve been blocked. When blocked, you typically cannot see any aspect of a user’s profile, including their highlights.
- Profile Interaction Limitation: If you’ve been blocked, you won’t be able to interact with their profile in any way, including viewing Story Highlights. However, if you just can’t see new Highlights but can still view their profile, they might have just archived or removed those specific Highlights.
