In the early days of Instagram automation, FollowLiker was one of the most popular tools available. It allowed users to automate actions like following, liking, and commenting to grow their accounts with minimal effort. But in recent years, especially after a series of platform updates by Instagram, many seasoned users on Reddit and other forums have started sounding alarms about the dangers of using this software. What was once a helpful growth-hacking tool is now increasingly being associated with permanent account restrictions and frustrating user experiences.
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TL;DR
Reddit users have raised major concerns about using FollowLiker in recent years, pointing to a trend of permanent Instagram account limitations resulting from its use. Instagram has significantly cracked down on automation tools, flagging behaviors that appear “bot-like.” Cases shared online suggest that interacting with Instagram using FollowLiker can lead to reduced reach, engagement bans, and even permanent action blocks. For many, the risks now outweigh the benefits, making FollowLiker an obsolete and risky tool.
What is FollowLiker and What Does It Do?
FollowLiker is an automation tool developed to help users grow their following on Instagram (and other social media platforms) by mimicking real user behavior. The software allows you to:
- Auto-follow and unfollow users
- Like and comment on posts
- Schedule interactions based on hashtags, geolocations, or usernames
- Manage multiple accounts from a single dashboard
While this sounds useful for marketers and influencers trying to build their brand, the way it executes these actions has become a serious liability in the current Instagram ecosystem.
Reddit Users Sound the Alarm: Real Stories of Account Restrictions
Over the past couple of years, Reddit threads in subreddits like r/InstagramMarketing and r/socialmedia have been flooded with posts detailing how users’ Instagram accounts have suffered after using FollowLiker. Here are a few real case summaries:
- Case 1: The Permanent Like Ban – One user reported that after a few weeks of using FollowLiker with “conservative” settings, they were suddenly unable to like or comment on any post. The ban wasn’t lifted even after a >30-day break from automation.
- Case 2: Engagement Crashed to Zero – Another user said their average post used to get around 500 likes. After Instagram flagged their account, the engagement dropped to under 30 likes per post—with no hint of recovery even after stopping automation.
- Case 3: Shadowban Drama – A digital marketer running multiple niche accounts noticed sudden drops in discoverability. Posts stopped appearing under searchable hashtags—even on multiple test accounts, indicating shadowbans directly resulting from FollowLiker usage.
These anecdotal cases are bringing attention to a growing trend: Instagram seems to be getting increasingly better at detecting and penalizing automation, even if you’re running the tool with low activity levels.
Instagram’s Evolving Anti-Bot Policy
In 2019, Instagram unveiled major algorithm updates aimed at detecting inauthentic behavior, including suspicious likes and follows. Since then, the platform has applied stricter measures such as:
- Action Limits: Based on user trust score and activity history, Instagram now caps how many likes, follows, and comments an account can perform in a time period.
- Permanent Action Blocks: Earlier, when you hit a limit, you’d get a temporary timeout. Now, many Reddit users report receiving indefinite limitations on certain actions, even after deleting FollowLiker.
- IP and Device Fingerprinting: Instagram appears to detect automation even across proxies and VPNs by identifying key behavior and operating system patterns.
The problem is that FollowLiker wasn’t made with these guardrails in mind. It continues to operate with outdated behavior patterns that, while once indistinguishable from human activity, now register as clearly bot-like to Instagram’s detection systems.
Why FollowLiker’s Architecture Is Ill-Suited for 2024
Unlike newer cloud-based tools that use mobile emulation or AI-driven behavioral mimicry, FollowLiker relies on desktop-based scripting. This means that it doesn’t automatically adjust to Instagram’s updates in real-time. Some key technical limitations include:
- Lack of built-in AI adaptability: Doesn’t vary delays or action timing the way a human would.
- Patterned behavior: Repeats similar navigation paths that are now easily identifiable as bots.
- Software updates: Managed manually and inconsistently updated, making it fall behind changes on Instagram’s backend.
Thus, using FollowLiker today is a bit like playing Russian roulette with your Instagram account—it might work for a short time, but the algorithm is always a step ahead, and you’re constantly at risk.
Community Sentiment: Why Reddit Has Mostly Turned Against It
If you scroll through posts from 2017 to 2024 on Reddit regarding FollowLiker, the shift in tone is dramatic. Once hailed as a low-key growth hack, it’s now mostly viewed as a liability. The most common themes across Reddit include:
- “Instagram is not what it used to be” – Automation had a golden era, but that’s long gone.
- “I lost my account and years of effort” – Users are risking years of work for minimal short-term gain.
- “Use with caution – or better, don’t use at all” – Even proponents admit that the tool should be used with extreme limits or avoided altogether.
Alternatives Being Recommended by the Community
While automation has lost favor, other strategies have gained popularity. Reddit users commonly advise abandoning outdated bots in favor of:
- Manual growth using analytics: Tools like Later, HypeAuditor, or Iconosquare help understand ideal post times, content formats, and engagement patterns.
- Instagram Reels and Stories: Increased visibility in these newer formats offers better organic reach without crossing any bot-detection thresholds.
- AI-driven but compliant tools: A few newer platforms use AI to suggest actions rather than perform them, keeping the user in control and compliance with Instagram’s terms of service.
These approaches may not be as fast, but they are sustainable in the long run and pose no risk of account bans.
Should You Still Use FollowLiker?
In today’s Instagram climate, using FollowLiker is at best a gamble—and at worst, a way to get your account permanently limited or even disabled. The short-term gains are often far outweighed by long-term damage to engagement and visibility. As Instagram’s AI becomes more sophisticated, the cracks in outdated tools are becoming deadly traps for unaware users.
The smart move is to heed the warnings being issued by so many Reddit veterans: don’t risk years of content and relationship-building on a tool that’s no longer built for today’s platform.
Final Thoughts
FollowLiker was once a revolutionary tool, but those days are gone. With Instagram’s modern detection systems and growing intolerance toward automation, continuing to use outdated tools like this is akin to inviting penalties. For marketers, influencers, and casual users alike, the key to sustainable growth in 2024 lies in strategy, creativity, and real human interaction—not shortcuts that Instagram is actively fighting against.
