If you’ve ever opened the TikTok app and seen suggestions for videos or accounts to follow from “your contacts”, but the suggestions are people you don’t actually know, you’re not alone. This confusing TikTok feature seems to puzzle many users who find themselves being shown strangers that the app claims are contacts.
The “From Your Contacts” section in TikTok can be found on the Discover page and For You page, and displays a list of accounts the app thinks you may know or want to follow. However, the people shown there are often not truly in your contacts at all.
Why Does TikTok Show “Contacts” I Don’t Know?
There are a few reasons TikTok may inaccurately suggest strangers as contacts:
- You imported your phone contacts to TikTok when you created your account. TikTok looks for matches between your phone contacts and TikTok accounts. Even just having someone’s phone number in your contacts could cause their TikTok account to show up as a “contact”, even if you don’t actually know them.
- TikTok finds accounts with similar usernames to your contacts and assumes they are the same person. For example, if you have a friend named @johnson_1990 in your contacts, TikTok might show @johnson_1991 as a suggestion.
- TikTok makes suggestions based on connections between your contacts. For example, if Contact A follows Contact B on TikTok, both of their accounts may show up as suggestions for you, even if you only personally know Contact A.
- TikTok takes guesses based on contacts who have interacted with your account. If someone likes your videos or comments on your posts, they may start appearing as a “contact” recommendation.
How to Manage Suggested Contacts on TikTok
If you want to take control over who TikTok suggests you may know, there are a few steps you can take:
- Go to your profile and tap the 3-dot menu in the top right corner. Select “Privacy and Settings”.
- Tap “Manage Contacts”. Here you will see a list of all contacts TikTok has imported from your phone or found matches for.
- Tap “Invite” next to any contacts you want to connect with on TikTok. Tap “Remove” for any contacts showing up that you don’t actually know.
- Toggle off “Find Contacts” to prevent TikTok from syncing with your contacts at all going forward.
Doing this doesn’t completely stop contact suggestions, but it does give you manual control over who shows up in that section. TikTok may still make suggestions based on algorithmic guesses, but it won’t pull in contacts from your phone contacts list without your permission.
Should I Let TikTok Access My Contacts?
Whether you choose to let TikTok sync your contacts is a personal decision. Here are some things to consider:
- It can help you find and connect with people you know who use TikTok.
- It gives TikTok access to your personal data like phone numbers.
- Strangers appearing as “contacts” can feel invasive or misleading.
- Manually controlling contact sync prevents unwanted suggestions.
- Opting out means missing out on finding real connections.
In the end, you have to weigh the pros and cons of contact access for your own comfort level. You can always change your choice later as needed.
Other Ways to Find Real Contacts
If you want to find people you actually know on TikTok without contact syncing, here are some methods:
- Search for their exact TikTok username if you know it.
- Search their real name in the search bar.
- Use the “Invite Friends” feature and select contacts to invite via text or email.
- Manually invite known connections through the “Follow” tab.
- Ask your real contacts to share their TikTok usernames with you.
Making use of TikTok’s search tools, invite features, and asking around can help you build an authentic network without irrelevant contact recommendations.
Reporting Incorrect “Contacts”
If a stranger appears repeatedly as a suggested contact, you can take steps to remove them:
- Tap the profile image of the account.
- Tap the 3 dot menu next to “Follow” button.
- Select “Report account”.
- Choose “This account shows up as a suggestion incorrectly”.
Reporting the account provides feedback to TikTok that their contact matching algorithm may have made a mistake. Customer feedback helps TikTok improve suggestions over time.
The Bottom Line
Don’t be alarmed if you see unfamiliar faces in the “From Your Contacts” section on TikTok. This is often the result of imperfect contact matching algorithms rather than a breach of your personal data. You have tools available to manage which contacts are surfaced and report incorrect suggestions. While syncing contacts can be helpful, you can also locate real connections through other search and invite features. With the right settings and techniques, you can build an authentic TikTok network of people you truly know.
