Twitter recently introduced the ability to easily remove followers without blocking them. This feature comes in handy if you have an abusive, toxic, or otherwise irritating follower. Prior to this update, you needed to use "soft blocking" tactics to discreetly stop someone from following you.
With the dedicated remove follower option now available on desktop and mobile, managing your Twitter crew has never been simpler. In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn how to prune annoying followers to curate the perfect timeline.
Overview: Removing vs Blocking Twitter Followers
Before jumping into the step-by-step instructions, let‘s clarify the key differences between removing and blocking followers on Twitter:
| Action | Effect on Follower | Can Follower tell? | Can Follow Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remove | No longer sees your tweets | No, but may notice missing tweets | Yes |
| Block | Can‘t view your tweets or profile | Yes, profile hidden | No |
As the table illustrates, removing a follower is more discreet than blocking. The follower won‘t get notified when you hit remove, though they might eventually notice your tweets disappeared from their feed if actively following you.
Blocking, on the other hand, makes your entire account invisible to that person. They definitely get notified due to the sudden profile restriction. Blocking also prevents them from ever following you again (pending unblock).
So why remove versus block? Here are common reasons:
- Removing – Follower is mildly annoying but not abusive; want to gracefully prune feed
- Blocking – Follower is toxic/dangerous; want to prevent all interaction with them
Now let‘s dive into the step-by-step process for each method. We‘ll start with removing since it‘s the newest option.
#1. Removing Followers on Desktop
According to Twitter [1], over 68% of users log in via desktop web rather than the mobile app. So there‘s a good chance you need to remove followers right from twitter.com.
Note: As recently as 2018, Twitter users resorted to complicated "soft blocking" techniques because no official remove follower feature existed [2]. The introduction of this dedicated tool makes silently pruning your list infinitely easier.
Without further ado, here is how to remove Twitter followers on desktop in 6 simple steps:
Step 1: Pull up followers list
Click your profile icon > Followers > Review full list
[INSERT DATA TABLE]Step 2: Identify unwanted follower
Scan list visually or use Ctrl + F to search
Step 3: Click the "…" menu
Located on far right of follower‘s name
Step 4: Select Remove this follower
Option appears directly in menu
Step 5: Confirm removal
Dialog box appears to confirm choice
Step 6: You‘re done!
Follower removed secretly from your list 👍
I walk through this process quickly in the minute-long video below:
[INSERT VIDEO WALKTHROUGH]Let‘s move onto removing followers directly from your mobile app or device browser next.
#2. Removing Followers on Mobile
Contrary to popular belief, you can remove followers right from the Twitter mobile interface as well. But the capability is better hidden…
20% of Twitter users exclusively use mobile apps rather than desktop [1]. Make sure to bookmark this section for removing followers from your phone!
Unfortunately the native Twitter iOS and Android apps do not support removing followers at the time of writing (though direct feedback could change that!).
Instead, you need to log into mobile web view as you would on a computer. Then the steps are quite similar:
[INSERT MOBILE INFOGRAPHIC]There are a few key distinctions when managing followers on mobile:
- Need to manually enter full desktop URL
- Menu icons differ slightly vs desktop
- No keyboard shortcuts!
But otherwise, you get access to the same remove tool with a couple extra taps.
I‘ll revisit this in detail in my next post on mobile optimization best practices for Twitter [3].
Now that you know how to discretely prune followers from Twitter across all platforms, let‘s discuss the more extreme alternative: blocking.
#3. Blocking Followers on Twitter
Blocking a user creates much more drastic results:
[INSERT BLOCKING VS REMOVING COMPARISON TABLE]As you can see, blocking erects an impenetrable barrier between you and the selected follower. They instantly lose all access to view your content or profile.
Many folks jump straight to blocking at the first sign of annoyance. But the cold, sudden block can feel quite aggressive from the other side!
Consider removing respectfully first. Always reserve blocking for cases of actual abuse, threats, bullying, etc.
That said, if you do need to block a harmful follower, here is how:
Step 1: Follow steps 1-3 above
Navigate to follower list > Identify user > Click "…"
Step 2: Select Block
Appears as option when menu pops up
Step 3. Confirm block
Double check choice since blocking is permanent!
Step 4: User blocked
They lose all access immediately
Pretty straightforward! Twitter makes it blessedly easy to shut out dangerous or abusive followers at the tap of a button.
No one should have to tolerate harassment on social media. Just be conscious about reserving blocking for serious offenses only – otherwise removing is better etiquette.
I‘ll wrap up this guide by addressing some common questions around managing your followers:
FAQs: Followers, Blocking, Removing & More
Can someone secretly follow me on Twitter?
No. Unlike Instagram with its "ghost followers", Twitter always alerts you in real-time when new followers join up [4]. There is full transparency around who chooses to follow you.
What happens if I remove followers I follow back?
Great question. Removing a follower breaks the "following" connection in one direction only. So if you remove @JohnSmith, YOU stop following HIM, but he may still follow you. Some refer to this as a "soft block" since the tweets mostly disappear from his view [2].
Can I see who unfollowed me on Twitter?
Unfortunately Twitter doesn‘t directly show you who chose to unfollow you. Your best bet is to periodically check your followers list manually for names that have disappeared. Or use a 3rd party tracking site to monitor changes.
Be aware that most unfollow apps require handing over login credentials though…so use reputable ones only! Safety first 🙂
Why does Twitter recommend some followers over others?
It‘s not random. Twitter‘s algorithms suggest new followers based on your existing activity and engagement [5]. For example, they may recommend:
- Users who tweet about topics you frequently search
- People following or interacting with similar accounts to your own
- Contacts who recently joined Twitter
- Those who engage most with your tweets specifically
The more active you are, the smarter Twitter gets at targeting relevant follower recommendations. Pretty cool!
Well I hope this guide gave you loads of helpful context around effectively managing your community on Twitter by removing or blocking followers. Remember to use removal respectfully and blocking judiciously for serious violations.
Let me know if you have any other questions! Time to get tweeting 🙂
[1] Twitter usage data via Oberlo, May 2022
[2] "What Happens When You Soft Block Someone on Twitter", Lifewire, June 2022
[3] Upcoming article: "Shatter the Mobile Ceiling: Unlock 10x Twitter Growth on Smartphones", Launching July 2022
[4] "Get notified when new people follow you on Twitter", Twitter Help Center
[5] "New Improvements for Following Recommendations", Twitter Blog Update, March 2021
