If your TikTok following feed is suddenly flooded with only popular or trending creators that you don’t actually follow, there are a few possible reasons for this. The good news is that with some adjustments to your settings and feed, you can get your personalized following feed back.
You’ve hit the limit of posts from accounts you follow
TikTok’s algorithm limits the number of posts you’ll see from accounts you follow in your main “Following” feed. Once you’ve reached a certain threshold of posts from accounts you follow in a given time period, TikTok will start mixing in more content from popular creators to keep your feed fresh.
This limit seems to be around 100-200 posts from accounts you follow within an hour time frame. After hitting this limit, you’ll notice more trending videos filling up your feed.
If you want to see more content just from creators you follow, try checking your feed after some time has passed. TikTok will reset the limits and start showing your followed accounts’ posts again.
Your feed is tailored to your interests
TikTok’s algorithm personalizes your “For You” and “Following” feeds based on the content it thinks you’ll find engaging. So even in your Following feed, you may see popular videos similar to content you often watch and engage with.
For example, if you frequently view dance challenge videos, you might start seeing the top dance challenges intermixed with followed accounts’ posts. Or if you like to watch cooking videos, viral cooking trends may show up alongside your favorite chefs you follow.
This is TikTok’s way of keeping your feed interesting and customized to your tastes. But it does mean less focus on only accounts you follow.
You have notifications from popular accounts enabled
If you have post notifications enabled for any popular TikTok accounts with lots of followers, their new videos will automatically be fed into your Following feed.
Go to the profile of the popular account and check if you have “Notify me” enabled under the Following button. Disable notifications if you only want to see these videos on your FYP.
You’re not logged into your account
When viewing TikTok logged out or in a private/incognito browser, you won’t see your personalized feed. You’ll only see trending, popular videos like those on the “For You” feed.
Double check that you’re logged into the correct TikTok account to access your personal Following feed.
Ways to filter your Following feed
If you want to limit the trending/popular videos and focus solely on followed accounts, try these options:
- Tap “Following” again at the top to refresh your feed and reset any limits.
- Filter your Following feed to only show posts from accounts you follow.
- Use Lists to group followers and view only those accounts’ posts.
- Tap “Latest” instead of “Top” to disable algorithmic sorting.
- Follow more accounts similar to those you want to see.
- Check your feed at different times of day when it may reset.
Why TikTok mixes in popular videos
There are a few reasons why TikTok intentionally adds viral, trending videos into your Following feed:
- To expose you to top videos you may be interested in based on your existing interests.
- To keep your Following feed fresh when you’ve seen all recent posts from followed accounts.
- To hook users into watching/engaging more via highly shareable content.
- To promote engagement for trending sounds, hashtags and challenges.
While it may seem disruptive if you just want to see updates from followed accounts, this strategy does work to keep users engaged. You may discover new creators and trends you like along the way.
Should you unfollow accounts posting irrelevant content?
If your feed gets cluttered with content from followed accounts that you find irrelevant or uninteresting, it may be a sign to do some spring cleaning.
Consider unfollowing accounts that post content unrelated to your interests. For example, if you followed an account for dance videos but now its posting cooking content, feel free to unfollow it.
Cleaning up your followed accounts list ensures the posts you do see are as relevant as possible. Just don’t go overboard unfollowing!
Following too many accounts
Following an extremely high number of accounts (1000+) can also dilute your feed and result in more irrelevant content.
Try refining your Following list to focus on your top interests. Follow just a handful of accounts per interest instead of every account you mildly enjoy.
With a more targeted Following list of say 200-500 accounts, your feed will more closely match content you want to see on a regular basis.
Summary
Seeing more popular videos on your TikTok Following feed is often by design to keep you engaged. But you can still filter your feed to focus on accounts you actually follow. Be selective in who you follow, disable notifications, check your feed at optimal times, and leverage options like Lists.
With the right adjustments, you can minimize trending videos and get your Following feed back on track.
