If you are a frequent Instagram user, you might have noticed a new update to the app. When you visit a profile on the Instagram app, you will find a plus person icon beneath the follower count.
Many are confused about the icon with a person and a plus sign on Instagram profiles. Are you curious to know what it does and whether you should be using it?
In this article, I will explain what the plus person icon means on Instagram and what it does.
A plus person icon on Instagram means suggested accounts on the platform. Tapping the plus person icon will show you a bunch of profiles similar to the one you are in right now. In short, it’s Instagram’s profile suggestion.
What Does Plus Person Icon Mean On Instagram
The icon with a plus sign and person next to the message button on Instagram means suggested accounts to follow.
This suggested accounts to follow section differs significantly from Instagram’s traditional profile suggestion. This plus person icon only appears on specific Instagram profiles.
As soon as you tap the icon, a new section will appear below it. It will now show you a bunch of profiles similar to the one you are currently in.
For example, if you are on a celebrity’s Instagram page, clicking the plus person icon will show you similar accounts.
Similarly, if you visit a company’s Instagram account, for example, Apple, upon clicking the suggestions icon, it may show other Insta pages like Samsung or LG.
The Instagram algorithm will analyze and come up with a list of profiles that are very similar to the profile that you are in. You may click the follow button next to each profile to follow them instantly.
The plus-person icon appears even if you are using Instagram in full screen on an iPad via PWA as well.
Who Are Shown Under Plus Icon On Instagram?
Some might be curious about which profiles are shown when you tap the plus person icon on Instagram.
Instagram mainly only suggests accounts that are very similar to the account that you are at right now.
For example, if you are in a celebrity’s Instagram profile, you will most likely see other celebrities.
Similarly, if you are on a sports person’s Instagram profile, tapping on it will show other sports persons.
Is My Instagram Profile Shown In This Section?
Instagram randomly selects an account similar to a profile and shows it under the plus person icon or the suggested accounts tab.
If you have enabled the account suggestions feature on Instagram, your profile will also be shown when someone visits a profile like yours and tap the plus person icon. So yes, Instagram shows your profile in the plus person icon section.
Can I Turn Off Account Suggestions on Instagram?
Many people find the account suggestion tab on Instagram very annoying. If you’re one of them and want to remove the plus person icon and the entire account suggestion tab from Instagram, follow the steps below.
Open the Instagram app.
Tap your profile picture from the bottom right corner of the screen.
Tap Settings.
Tap Notifications.
Select Following and followers.
Now turn off the option that says Account Suggestions.
Now that you have turned off account suggestions on Instagram, you will no longer see any suggested accounts on the platform.
Turn off account suggestions for your Instagram profile
Every time someone follows you on Instagram, they will be shown a few others similar to yours. Instagram allows you to turn off account suggestions if you don’t want that to happen.
Follow the steps below to turn off account suggestions for your Instagram account.
Open the Instagram app and tap the profile picture on the bottom right to visit your profile.
Tap the Edit Profile button.
Untick the Similar account suggestions option and hit Submit.
Why Did The Icon Appear All Of A Sudden?
The plus person icon on Instagram is the latest addition to its platform. It’s been a few months since Instagram started displaying this suggested accounts icon on Instagram profiles.
If you suddenly started seeing this plus person icon on Instagram, it may be because you updated the app or the changes were rolled out on your account recently.
This icon started to appear for many beta users of the Instagram app a long time back. Instagram is now gradually rolling out to the stable version. Most users should now see this suggested account icon on every profile they visit on the platform.
How Is The Plus Person Icon Useful On Instagram?
While it may seem like just a bunch of suggested accounts, the plus person icon or the recommended section under a profile on Instagram has a lot of benefits.
If yours is a personal Instagram account, it might not be as helpful for businesses and creators.
Creators and businesses on Instagram truly benefit from this feature.
Suppose you are a creator or business on Instagram. In that case, this section on the Instagram app makes it extremely easy and convenient for you to find accounts similar to yours or competitors.
After visiting your business profile from a different Instagram account, tap the plus person icon. It will show you a bunch of accounts that are similar to yours. You may take note of all these accounts shown under this suggested section.
Once you have a list of similar accounts, you may go through them one by one and look at their content strategy, posting frequency, content styling, etc., and try to figure out why they are winning.
You may copy their tactics and strategies on your Instagram profile to boost your reach.
What’s Next?
The icon with a person and a plus sign on Instagram means suggested profiles. Upon tapping the icon, Instagram will show you a bunch of related or similar accounts like the one you are in.
You may tap the follow button to follow any of the shown accounts instantly.
The Instagram algorithm automatically categorizes a few similar accounts. And these accounts are shown under the plus person icon. Users do not have any control over the accounts that Instagram shows under this panel.
You may also take a look at how to Share Full 30-second Reels as an Instagram Story and what to do when your Instagram Stories are blurry.
The next time you visit an Instagram profile and want to see a bunch of similar profiles, tap the plus person icon on Instagram, and it will now list a few accounts that are very similar to the one you are in right now.