Can you see who someone recently followed on Instagram? Yes, here is how (2026)

Updated 4 October 20263 min read

Yes. The Instagram app no longer sorts another person's following list by date, but the order still exists behind the scenes. FollowScope reads it and shows the newest follows of any public account first. When Instagram mixes up a list, we tell you instead of showing a wrong order.

The short answer

Open the start page, type a public username and press Search. The first row is the account that was followed most recently. No Instagram login and no app are needed.

This was tested in October 2026 against profiles with a known follow history. Most searches return the correct newest-first order right away.

Why most people think it is impossible

In the app, Instagram arranges another person's following list for you personally: mutual friends and accounts you interact with come first. Many guides therefore say the recent follows cannot be seen anymore. That is true for the app, but not for the underlying public data.

When it does not work

Private accounts: their following list is hidden, so nobody can look it up.
Shuffled phases: sometimes Instagram delivers a mixed-up list for a while. We detect this and show a clear red notice. Trying again an hour later usually works.
Accounts that follow thousands of profiles can take longer to load.

For guaranteed tracking: the watchlist

Premium members can add up to five profiles to a watchlist. We check them twice a day and show every new follow with the time we detected it, no matter how Instagram sorts the list.

Questions