Making Your Account Private vs Public
One of the most fundamental choices you'll make on Whistlr is whether your account is public or private. This single setting affects who can see your posts, who can follow you without asking first, and how your content shows up across Discover, Nearby, and search. Understanding the real differences between the two helps you choose the setup that matches how you actually want to use the app.
Switching Between Public and Private
Go to Settings > Privacy > Account Privacy to toggle between Public and Private. With a public account, anyone can view your profile, posts, and Minis without following you, and your content is eligible to appear in Discover and Nearby for people who don't yet follow you. With a private account, only approved followers can see your posts, Stories, and Minis, and your content is no longer shown to non-followers in Discover or Nearby. You can switch back and forth at any time, and the change takes effect immediately.
The core difference comes down to who needs your approval to see what you share. On a public account, anyone can follow you instantly and view your content the moment they land on your profile. On a private account, new followers must send a follow request, which you can accept or decline from your notifications or your followers list. Until you accept a request, that person can see only your basic profile information — they won't be able to view your posts, Minis, or Stories.
What Happens to Existing Followers
Switching to a private account does not remove any of your current followers — everyone who already followed you keeps full access to your posts and content exactly as before. The change in privacy only affects new connections going forward: people who don't already follow you will need to request access, and you'll need to approve them before they can see anything beyond your profile basics. If you switch back to public later, any pending follow requests are no longer needed since your content becomes visible to everyone automatically.
Privacy on a social app should be a clear, reversible choice, not a maze — you should always know exactly who can see what you share.
- Public account: Anyone can view your profile, posts, and Minis; anyone can follow you instantly without approval; your content can appear in Discover, Nearby, and search to people who don't follow you.
- Private account: Only approved followers can view your posts, Stories, and Minis; new followers must send a request you approve; your content is not shown to non-followers in Discover or Nearby.
- Approving or declining requests: Open your follow requests list from your notifications or profile to accept or decline each request individually.
- Removing a follower: Whether your account is public or private, you can remove an existing follower at any time from your followers list, which immediately stops them from seeing future private content.
Some basic information stays visible no matter which setting you choose. Your username, display name, and profile picture can generally still be seen by anyone who looks up your profile or finds you in search, even if your account is private — this is what allows people to find the right account and decide whether to send a follow request. Your posts, Minis, Stories, and follower or following lists are what actually become restricted under a private account. If you want even more control over specific posts or who can interact with them, see our articles on controlling who can comment on your posts and understanding shares and reposts.