How to Turn Off Discover People on Instagram

While Instagram is great for connecting with friends and discovering new accounts, the “Discover People” feature can sometimes feel intrusive. Whether it’s the constant suggestions to follow people I may know or the notifications about potential connections, this feature can be overwhelming. If you’re like me and prefer a more streamlined experience, you might be wondering how to turn off or minimize the “Discover People” feature on Instagram. In this article, I’ll guide you through all the essential steps, how to turn off Discover People on Instagram.

What Is the “Discover People” Feature

Before diving into how to turn off Discover People on Instagram, let me explain what the “Discover People” feature is and why it exists. Instagram’s “Discover People” feature is designed to help users explore and connect with new profiles.

It uses data such as your phone contacts, mutual followers, and activity patterns to suggest accounts you might want to follow. You’ll typically encounter this feature in several places:

• On your profile page, you’ll see the “Discover People” section located under the “Edit Profile” and “Share Profile” options.
• In your notifications, where Instagram might suggest people based on mutual connections.
• Instagram’s Explore page recommends accounts that share similarities with the ones you currently follow.

While this feature can be helpful for some, it can feel invasive for others who value privacy or prefer not to receive constant prompts about following new accounts.

If you’re also concerned about your online presence, learn how to turn off your active status on Instagram for more privacy. Want to stay low-key on Instagram? Here’s how you can control your visibility by turning off your active status.

Why Turn Off “Discover People”

For me, there are several reasons why I wanted to disable or minimize this feature:

• Privacy Concerns: The suggestions often rely on data from my phone contacts or mutual connections, which feels like an unnecessary intrusion into my personal network.
• Clutter-Free Experience: I prefer a clean interface without constant prompts or notifications about following new people.
• Reduced Notifications: The frequent notifications about suggested accounts can become annoying over time.
• Focus on Existing Connections: Instead of being bombarded with suggestions, I’d rather focus on engaging with the people I already follow.

If any of these reasons resonate with you, continue reading for detailed, step-by-step instructions on How to turn off Discover People on Instagram.

Steps How to Turn Off Discover People on Instagram

Step 1: Open the Instagram App

Once it’s open, I navigate to my profile page by tapping on my profile icon located in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This is where most of the account-related features are accessible.

Step 2: Locate the Discover People Section

On my profile page, just below the Edit Profile and Share Profile buttons, I usually see the “Discover People” section. The feature is often marked by a small icon of a person with a plus sign, which indicates where you can find and add new accounts. It’s easy to spot because it’s designed to catch attention.

Step 3: Tap the Person Icon

To disable or hide this feature, I tap on the small person icon located to the right of the “Edit Profile” and “Share Profile” buttons. When I tap this icon, it signals Instagram that I no longer want the “Discover People” section displayed on my profile.

Step 4: Observe the Icon Change

After tapping, I notice that the black person icon changes to a white outline. This visual change confirms that I’ve successfully interacted with the feature and hidden it from my profile view.

Step 5: Confirm That Discover People Is Hidden

Once I’ve completed these steps, I recheck my profile to ensure that the “Discover People” section has been removed.

Can You Fully Turn Off “Discover People”

Let me clarify something upfront: Instagram doesn’t currently offer a single toggle button to completely disable the “Discover People” feature. The feature is often marked by a small icon of a person with a plus sign, which indicates where you can find and add new accounts.These include managing your phone contacts, adjusting notification settings, and customizing your profile preferences.

Step-by-Step Guide to Turning Off “Discover People”

Here’s how I managed to minimize or effectively disable the “Discover People” feature:

 Disconnect Your Phone Contacts

One of the primary ways Instagram suggests people is by accessing your phone contacts. If you’ve synced your contacts with Instagram previously, disconnecting them can surely decrease these suggestions.

• Open the Instagram app on your phone.
• Open  profile page by hitting your profile picture in the lower-right corner.
• Hit the three horizontal lines (menu icon) in the upper-right corner and tap Settings.
• Navigate to Account > Contacts Syncing.
• Toggle off the switch for Connect Contacts.
• If prompted, be sure that you opt to stop syncing your contacts.

By disabling contact syncing, Instagram will no longer use your phone’s address book to suggest people.

Clear Synced Contacts

If you’ve previously synced your contacts with Instagram, simply turning off contact syncing isn’t enough—you’ll need to clear any data already stored.

• Go to the Settings menu in Instagram.
• Select Account > Contacts Syncing > Manage Contacts.
• Tap on Delete All Contacts.

This ensures that any previously uploaded contact data is removed from Instagram’s servers.

Disable Notifications for Suggestions

Another way Instagram pushes the “Discover People” feature is through notifications about suggested accounts. Here’s how I disabled these notifications:

• Open Settings on your phone (iOS or Android).
• Navigate to the Notifications section.
• Search for Instagram from the list of apps.
• Turn off notifications for categories like:
  • Suggested Accounts
  • Friend Activity
  • Other Recommendations

Alternatively, within the Instagram app

• Go to Settings > Notifications > Following and Followers.
• Disable notifications for “Account Suggestions.”

• Go to Settings > Notifications > Following and Followers.
• Disable notifications for “Account Suggestions.”

This step ensures that I no longer receive push notifications related to suggested accounts.

Ignore Suggestions in Your Feed

Instagram occasionally displays suggested accounts directly in your feed under posts or stories. While you can’t completely remove these suggestions, you can train Instagram’s algorithm by dismissing them:

• When you see a suggestion in your feed or stories section, tap on the three dots (**- – – **) next to it.
• Select Not Interested or similar options.

Over time, this helps reduce such recommendations.

Remove Discover People from Your Profile Page

The “Discover People” section often appears prominently on your profile page. While there’s no direct way to remove it entirely, here’s what I did:

• Avoid linking additional accounts (e.g., Facebook) that might expand Instagram’s suggestion pool.
• Keep my profile private so that fewer mutual connections are suggested.

By limiting linked accounts and making my profile private, I noticed a significant reduction in intrusive suggestions.

Use a Third-Party App Blocker (Optional)

If all else fails and you’re still frustrated by “Discover People,” consider using third-party tools that block specific app features. Apps like FocusMe or Freedom allow you to customize which parts of an app are accessible during specific times.

My Experience After Disabling “Discover People”

After following these steps, my Instagram experience felt much cleaner and less intrusive. Here’s what changed:

• I stopped receiving frequent notifications about suggested accounts.
• The “Discover People” section became less prominent on my profile page.
• My feed felt more personalized since I wasn’t constantly bombarded with irrelevant suggestions.

While these changes didn’t completely eliminate the feature (since it’s deeply embedded into Instagram), they significantly reduced its impact on my overall experience.

Why Doesn’t Instagram Let Us Fully Disable It

It’s worth noting that features like “Discover People” are integral to Instagram’s business model. By encouraging users to connect with more accounts, Instagram increases engagement rates and ad impressions—both of which drive revenue for Meta (Instagram’s parent company). This likely explains why there isn’t a simple way to turn off this feature.

However, as users like me continue advocating for more control over our digital experiences, we may see future updates that allow for greater customization.

Final Thoughts

How to turn off Discover People on Instagram requires some effort but is entirely possible if you follow the steps outlined above. Whether it’s disconnecting your contacts, clearing synced data, disabling notifications, or training the algorithm by dismissing suggestions, there are multiple ways to regain control over your experience.

For me, taking these steps made a noticeable difference in how I interact with the platform. If you’re someone who values privacy or simply wants a cleaner interface without constant prompts for new connections, I highly recommend giving these methods a try!