# Followers, follow requests and private accounts

> How following works, what a private account hides, and how to approve or refuse a request.

Following someone puts their public trips in front of you and lets them share trips with followers. If your account is **private**, a follow becomes a **request** you approve or refuse.

## How do I follow someone?

Find them in the **Search** tab — it searches usernames — and use Follow on their profile.

If their account is public you are following straight away. If it is private the button becomes **Requested** until they decide.

## What does a private account hide?

Trips set to **followers** become visible only to followers you have actually accepted, rather than anyone who tapped Follow.

Trips you set to **public** stay public — private is about who counts as a follower, not a blanket lock. If you want everything hidden, set the trips themselves to [only me or specific people](/help/share-an-itinerary-privately).

## Where do I approve requests?

A banner on your profile shows the count, and **Settings ▸ Follow requests** lists them. Accept or refuse each one.

Refusing does not tell them. They simply stop being requested and can ask again.

## What happens if I switch from private to public?

Every pending request is accepted automatically. Leaving people queued behind a gate you have just removed would be a queue nobody was ever going to look at again.

Going the other way, from public to private, does not remove your existing followers.

## What's the difference between unfollowing and blocking?

**Unfollowing** just stops their trips reaching your feed. They can still see whatever they could see before.

**Blocking** cuts visibility in both directions, and the blocked person is not told. See [reporting and blocking](/help/report-and-block).

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Source: https://ntripi.app/help/follow-and-private-accounts