How to Receive Threads Notifications for First-Time Followers Only

Threads sends a notification every time someone follows your account. For users with a large audience, this creates constant alerts for new followers, many of whom may already be familiar with your content. You may want to receive notifications only when a brand-new user follows you for the first time, not from existing followers who create a new account or follow again after unfollowing. This article explains how to configure Threads to alert you only for first-time followers and what limitations exist in the current app.

How Threads Handles Follower Notifications

Threads does not offer a built-in filter that distinguishes between first-time followers and returning followers. When you enable follow notifications in the app, you receive an alert for every new follower regardless of whether that person has followed you before. The app tracks follower counts and follower lists but does not tag accounts as “new” or “returning” in the notification system. This means the only way to identify first-time followers is to manually inspect the account itself. The follower list in your profile shows the most recent followers at the top, and you can tap each profile to see when the account was created. If the account was created recently and has no history with your profile, it is likely a first-time follower. Accounts that have followed you before will show a longer account age and may have previous interaction history such as likes or replies on your posts.

Steps to Receive Notifications Only for First-Time Followers

Because Threads cannot automatically separate first-time followers from returning ones, you must use a manual process to achieve this goal. The method below disables all follow notifications and then teaches you how to check for first-time followers on your own schedule.

Turn Off All Follow Notifications in Threads

1. Open the Threads app
   Launch Threads on your iOS or Android device. Make sure you are logged into the account you want to configure.
2. Go to your profile
   Tap the profile icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This takes you to your profile page where your posts and bio appear.
3. Open Settings
   Tap the two horizontal lines icon in the top-right corner, then tap Settings from the menu that appears.
4. Select Notifications
   In the Settings menu, tap Notifications. This opens the notification preferences screen.
5. Tap Follows
   Under the Accounts section, tap Follows. This controls notifications when someone follows you.
6. Set to Off
   Toggle the Follows switch to the Off position. Threads will no longer send you a notification for any new follower, including first-time followers.

Manually Identify First-Time Followers

1. Go to your Followers list
   On your profile page, tap the number next to Followers. This opens a list of everyone who follows your account, sorted by most recent first.
2. Tap a follower profile
   Tap the name or profile picture of any account in the list. This opens that person’s profile page.
3. Check the account creation date
   Scroll down to the bio section. Look for the date the account was created, which appears below the bio text. An account created recently, such as within the past week, is likely a first-time follower. An account created months or years ago may have followed you before.
4. Look for previous interactions
   Scroll further down the profile to see if the account has liked or replied to your posts. If you see past interactions, this person has engaged with your content before and is not a first-time follower.

Limitations of the Manual Method

The manual method has several drawbacks. You must check the Followers list regularly because new followers appear at the top and older followers get pushed down. If you have many followers, scanning the entire list becomes impractical. Also, an account created recently may still be a returning follower who created a new account after deleting their old one. There is no way to verify this because Threads does not link old and new accounts. Additionally, the manual method cannot send you a notification when a first-time follower appears. You must remember to check the list periodically. If you want real-time alerts for first-time followers, you will need to use a third-party tool or wait for Threads to add this feature.

Threads vs Other Platforms: First-Time Follower Notifications Compared

You can now manage your Threads notifications so that you only see alerts for first-time followers. To stay on top of new followers without constant interruptions, set a weekly reminder to check your Followers list for accounts created recently. For a more advanced approach, consider using the Threads API to build a custom tool that filters followers by account age, though this requires programming knowledge and API approval from Meta.