Do you know the algorithm behind the TikTok friends’ suggestion? Have you ever scrolled through “Suggested Friends” on TikTok and wondered who these people are and why they should care?
The world of TikTok’s friend suggestions can leave you feeling confused, like other users. But stop searching, as you are in the right place.
In this article, we’ll investigate the secrets of TikTok’s algorithm and show you how TikTok suggests friends.
There are so many ways that TikTok picks other users and suggests them to you. It can be your phone contacts, Facebook connections, and even shared viewing habits playing a more significant role.
Ready to take control of your TikTok experience and discover who’s in the “Suggestions” shadows? Let’s dive in!
What Is Friend’s Suggestion on TikTok?
First, look at a friend’s suggestion on TikTok, which you may encounter while exploring. These recommendations will help you find more friends and expand your community on TikTok.
Based on your previous interaction and the data, the algorithm identifies accounts offering content thematically similar to what you’ve engaged with previously.
But also, you can change how you see the suggestion on TikTok, for which you can find the steps in the following part.
To optimize your experience, you can track the tips below:
- Friend Suggestion Activation: All the users can enable this feature, which allows potential connections based on mutual Facebook friendships or phonebook entries.
- It’s important to know that if you activate “Sync contacts,” your profile may be recommended to other TikTok users who have their contacts synced and the “Suggest your account to others” setting enabled.
- Deactivate the TikTok’s Friend Suggestion: To disable this feature entirely, you can either turn off “Sync contacts” within the TikTok Privacy settings or withdraw TikTok’s access to your contact information directly through your device settings.
- You can also permanently remove all the synced phone contacts from TikTok and prevent future syncing across devices. You should navigate to the “Sync contacts and Facebook friends” setting and then apply the “Remove previously synced contacts” option.
However, “Suggested Accounts” represent only one avenue for content discovery, and there are various ways to find new and engaging content and make new friendships on this app.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting that TikTok’s algorithm is constantly learning and evolving. It continuously analyzes your interactions on the app, updating its recommendations over time to become increasingly attuned to your preferences.
Therefore, the more you actively engage with content, the more effectively the platform will suggest what you want to see.
But the answer to our question remains: how does TikTok suggest friends?
How Does TikTok Suggest Account to the Users?
Now, you will discover how TikTok shows and suggests other accounts to you and vice versa. There are five ways this app helps you see more users and offers you new accounts to follow and new content to see.
TikTok suggests accounts to the users based on the following:
1. They Have your Phone number
A user has turned on the “Suggest my account” option and has your number saved. If you also synced your contacts, they might pop up as a suggestion (and vice versa if they also synced!).
2. You Have Their Phone Number Saved
The other scenario is when you have turned on “Suggest my account” and have someone’s number in your contacts. If they again synced and have their number on the TikTok settings, their profile might land in your suggestions.
3. Facebook Friends
This happens when one of the users activates Facebook’s friends and “Suggest my account,” which syncs their friend lists.
4. Mutual connection
Sometimes, TikTok suggests that you have accounts that you do not know. Do not panic! These users follow the duplicate accounts as you and have enabled “Suggest my account.” Now you both are synced, and you might see them again!
5. Simple followers
Last but not least, here comes the simplest one! Only if a TikTok user hits the “Follow” button on your profile they’ll automatically show up in your suggestions to follow.
If you want more access to this “TikTok friend’s suggestion” thing, you can read the following part to master it.
6. How to Turn TikTok Suggested Accounts On or Off
You can simply follow these steps if you want complete access to your privacy on the TikTok app and customize the TikTok Suggested Accounts.
7. Suggest Your TikTok Account to Other Users
Choose from “Contacts,” “Facebook friends,” or even people who open links you send them.
- Head to the app and simply tap on your “Profile.”
- On the profile, find and hit the “Menu.”
- Then you have to look for “Settings and privacy.”
- Tap on the “Privacy” section.
- You can pick your audience in the “Suggest your account to others” section
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Remember that if you choose “Facebook friends,” you’ll need to “Sync Facebook friends” too.
8. Facebook Friends & Sync Contacts
This method is so helpful to find and follow people you already know! Turn it on, and TikTok will scan your phone contacts and Facebook friends (you can always stop syncing later and even remove synced data).
But hold on for a second: If you use this and have “Contacts” enabled in “Suggest your account to others,” anyone with your number in their contacts (and TikTok) might see your profile, too!
- Follow the same steps as above, and after reaching the “Privacy” section, tap on the “Sync contacts and Facebook friends.”
- Now, you have to toggle the switches for each platform.
- You can also skip synced data here.
So, whether you’re a social butterfly or prefer a curated crew, these settings let you control who you connect with on TikTok.
To Sum It Up in Brief
If you want to know how TikTok suggests friends, you must first understand that the algorithm is critical in this part.
But we also mention the other important ways and demonstrate how you can find suggested TikTok accounts.
You can turn this feature on and off and customize it based on your taste.
If you need further guidance, just comment in the section below.