How to Find Someone on Instagram with a Phone Number in 2024? — HowDiscover.com
Instagram, a widely-used social networking app that primarily focuses on photo and video sharing, has maintained its popularity since its inception. Its success can be attributed to continuous innovation, including the introduction of features like Stories, Reels, shopping, filters, and more. Instagram offers a straightforward and visually-oriented platform for mobile users, making it a go-to choice for connecting with others and sharing content.
However, searching for specific users on Instagram can sometimes be a challenge, especially when individuals choose usernames that differ from their real names. This article aims to address this issue by explaining how to find someone on Instagram using their phone number.
How to Add Someone on Instagram with a Phone Number?
If you’re looking to find someone on Instagram without knowing their username, using their phone number as an alternative can be a convenient option. Here are two methods to achieve this:
Method 1: Use the Instagram Suggestion Page
If you’re certain that the person you’re looking for used their phone number for Instagram registration, you can follow these steps to find them:
- Save the person’s phone number in your contact list.
- Open your Instagram account.
- Go to your profile and tap the menu bar on the right side.
- Select the ‘Discover people’ option.
- Tap ‘Connect Contacts.’
- Next to Contact Syncing, you’ll find an icon that you can switch on. Instagram will synchronize your contact list and search its database. Allow Instagram to access your contacts.
- Restart Instagram and go to settings, then tap ‘Discover people.’
- You will see a list of your contacts connected to Instagram through their phone numbers. This list may include people from your contact list, mutual friends, Facebook friends, or new users on Instagram. Scroll down to find the person you’re looking for.
Method 2: Use People Search Services
Not all users register on Instagram using their phone numbers. In such cases, you can turn to people search services to locate the person you want to connect with. Here’s how to do it:
- Choose a people search tool like Intelius, BeenVerified, or PeopleLooker.
- Enter the person’s email address, name, or phone number in the search box and click the search icon.
How to Remove or Hide Your Phone Number from Instagram
If you’re concerned about someone stalking you on Instagram via your phone number, it’s important to note that Instagram does not provide an option to remove your phone number directly. However, there are alternative ways to keep your phone number private:
- Use a virtual number when creating an Instagram account. Keep in mind that you may lose access to the virtual number, making account recovery difficult.
- Create your Instagram account with a phone number that you don’t use for communication. If you don’t use the SIM card associated with that number, it will eventually be disabled.
- In case you forget your password or your account gets blocked, use your email address instead of your phone number for account recovery.
When Might You Need Help Finding an Instagram Account by Phone Number?
- If you’ve attempted to search for someone using their phone number on Instagram and were unsuccessful, there are several possible reasons:
- The person may have registered on Instagram with a different phone number.
- They may have used an email address rather than a phone number for their Instagram account.
- They might have created a fake account with no profile photo or name, making it challenging to identify them.
- If you’re still searching for someone on Instagram with their phone number, don’t despair. There are additional methods you can try:
1. Find the Person on Instagram Through Other Social Media:
If you know the person’s Facebook account, you can easily locate their Instagram account:
- Follow the person on Facebook.
- Open Instagram, go to settings, and select ‘Discover people.’
- Choose ‘Connect’ next to the ‘Connect to Facebook’ option.
- Log in to your Facebook account and open Instagram again.
- You should be able to view the person’s Instagram profile.
2. Find the Person from Mutual Friends’ Profiles:
If the methods mentioned above have not yielded results, consider checking your mutual friends’ profiles:
- Visit your mutual friends’ profiles and check their following list or examine their posts, comments, and Highlights. You might find a tagged profile associated with the person you’re looking for.
3. Find the Person with a Picture:
If you have a photo of the person’s Instagram profile, you can use Google Images to search for its source:
- Save the photo on your device.
- Open your web browser and visit Google Images.
- Click the camera icon and upload the saved image.
- Select a file and click ‘Search.’
- Google Images will display search results related to the image.
FAQs for Finding New Instagram Contacts
Q1: If Instagram’s Find Contacts doesn’t work, what should I do?
If you’ve granted Instagram permission to upload your phone contacts and still can’t see them in the app or browser, it might take some time for the contacts to synchronize. If you continue to experience issues, you may need to disconnect and reconnect the contact syncing feature. Here’s how:
- Go to Instagram and select your profile picture.
- Access ‘Settings’ by tapping the hamburger icon (three-line icon).
- Choose ‘Sync Account and Contacts.’
- Select ‘Disconnect’ and disable syncing. This action removes all your contacts from your list.
Q2: How can I prevent Instagram contacts from finding me?
If someone has synced their information with Instagram, you can’t prevent them from finding you if you’re in their contacts. However, you can control who can see your feed by making your Instagram account private.
- Q3: Why is Instagram’s Find Contacts feature empty?
- There are instances when your contact list remains empty due to syncing failures. The solution in such cases is to disconnect and reconnect multiple times to synchronize your contacts.
Conclusion
Instagram, a social app renowned for its visual features, has become a primary choice for social networking. Users from various backgrounds prefer Instagram for connecting with friends and acquaintances. However, locating specific users can be challenging, especially when usernames don’t align with real names.
This article has provided a comprehensive guide on how to find someone on Instagram using a phone number. It also addressed alternative methods for finding individuals, especially when they may not have registered on Instagram with their phone numbers.
Remember that while using a phone number can be an effective way to discover someone on Instagram, respecting user privacy and boundaries is essential. If you have any other questions or need further clarification on this topic, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
In conclusion, finding someone on Instagram can require some effort and creativity, but with the methods outlined in this article, you should be well-equipped to connect with the individuals you’re seeking.