How to find contacts on Instagram in a few easy steps

One of the most extraordinary things about social media is its ability to connect people. Apps like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram allow users to connect with influencers they admire, long-distance friends, and everyone in between.

If there’s someone you want to connect with, there’s a good chance they’re on IG – after all, the platform has over 2 billion active users. But how do you find them?

There are plenty of opportunities to meet new people on Instagram and expand your account reach. You can connect with strangers through mutual friends, common hashtags, or shared interests (maybe they like the same content you do). But if you’re looking for someone you already know, searching through your contacts is the best way to track them down on the ’gram. Read on to learn exactly how to find contacts on Instagram.

Connecting with contacts on iOS, Android, and Desktop

Instagram has a feature called “contacts synching.” Enabling contact synching gives the app access to your device’s contacts, allowing it to find corresponding profiles for everyone in your phone who used the email or phone number you have to make an account.

Thanks to contact synching, you can quickly find your friends on Insta, as well as family members, co-workers, and anyone else whose information you have. You may also choose to connect your contacts from Facebook to follow them over on the ’gram.

How do you use this feature? It depends on the operating system you use to access Instagram. Let’s explore two ways to enable contact syncing.

iOS

Here’s how to see contacts on Instagram using the iOS app:

1. Open the Instagram app on your device and log in to your account.
2. Click on your profile icon (your profile picture in the lower right-hand corner).
3. Click on the hamburger icon (the three horizontal lines stacked on top of one another). From the drop-down menu, select “Discover people.”
4. Tap “See all.”
5. Select “Connect to Facebook,” “Connect contacts” or both. Select “Allow access” from the window pop-up window, and your contacts’ Instagram accounts will appear. Select the blue “Follow” button below the profiles you wish to connect with.

Android

Here’s how to find your contacts on an Android device:

1. Open the Instagram app on your device and log in to your account.
2. Click your profile icon to navigate to your page.
3. The “Discover people” section on Android is usually visible from your profile home page, below the buttons to “Edit profile” and “Share profile.” (If you don’t see it, click the icon that looks like a person and a plus sign).
4. Once in “Discover people” section, select “See all” from the right-hand side of your screen.
5. Tap “Connect to Facebook,” “Connect contacts” or both at the top of your screen, then select “Allow access” from the pop-up window.
6. Your contacts should now appear in the “Discover people” section. To add your contacts to Instagram, tap the blue “Follow” button below the profiles you wish to connect with.