Twitch's documented follower tools show current follower relationships. They do not provide a retrospective list of everyone who unfollowed. A Twitch unfollower tracker can record future changes by saving a starting follower list and comparing later lists. It cannot show unfollows that happened before tracking started.
What Twitch provides
Twitch documents a Get Channel Followers API for the people who currently follow a channel. The current documentation says the endpoint returns those users and a followed_at timestamp for each follow.
That list is a snapshot of current relationships. It is not a history of every account that used to follow the channel. Twitch's documented follower tools do not give a broadcaster a ready-made unfollower archive.
The endpoint requires a user access token with the moderator:read:followers scope. The token user must be the broadcaster, or a moderator for that broadcaster. Without that permission, the current documentation says the response includes only a total follower count, not the follower identities.
Unfollow uses the broadcaster connection case: you connect your own Twitch account and grant the follower scopes for that account.
This describes what the current Twitch documentation provides. An API omission is not proof of a permanent platform policy.
How future unfollower tracking works
A Twitch unfollow tracker cannot look backward through Twitch's current follower list and reconstruct old unfollows. It can record changes after it has a starting state.
The comparison works in three steps:
- The broadcaster connects Twitch and grants the required follower scopes.
- Unfollow stores the current follower relationships as a starting state.
- A later analysis compares the new follower list with the stored state and records missing relationships.
That is a list comparison, not a reason analysis. If an account is present in an earlier tracked list and absent from a later list, the later analysis can record that missing relationship.
Two snapshots, one recorded change
The example below uses fictional accounts only.
| Snapshot | Accounts currently following the channel |
|---|---|
| Starting state, after the first successful analysis | alex_example, blair_example, casey_example |
| Later analysis | alex_example, casey_example |
Recorded change: blair_example was in the starting state and is missing from the later list, so blair_example can be recorded as an unfollower.
Tracking starts only after the first successful analysis creates that starting state. Unfollows that happened before that first list are outside the comparison.
What the tracker can show
After the starting state exists, Unfollow can show a relationship that was present in an earlier tracked list and missing in a later list.
It can also show accounts that the broadcaster follows but that do not currently follow the broadcaster back.
Both results are relationship facts. They describe who is on a list, or who is no longer on a list. They do not describe motive.
What the tracker cannot show
- It cannot recover unfollows from before the first successful analysis.
- It does not prove why a follower relationship disappeared.
- It does not provide instant or real-time detection. A later analysis has to run before a missing relationship can be recorded.
- A missing relationship is not evidence that a stream, title, raid, or other content choice caused the change.
- Platform availability and API limits can delay or prevent an analysis.
A drop in the public follower count is also not the same thing as a named unfollower list. The count can change for more than one reason. The tracker only records accounts that leave a stored follower list after tracking has started.
For more on tracking limits and account questions, see the Unfollow FAQ on tracking limits and account access.
Unfollowers and not following back
These terms describe different lists.
An unfollower was present in an earlier tracked follower list and is absent from a later list.
Not following back means the broadcaster follows an account that does not currently follow the broadcaster.
An account can appear on the not-following-back list without ever having been a recorded unfollower. An account can also unfollow and still be unrelated to anyone the broadcaster follows.
The lists are for review in the dashboard. They are not a reason to retaliate, harass anyone, or run automated churn against other accounts.
Permissions and account access
To read current channel followers, Twitch requires the moderator:read:followers scope. That is the permission tied to Get Channel Followers.
To read the channels the connected account follows, Twitch documents a separate user:read:follows scope. Unfollow needs that follow list to compare it with current followers and show accounts that are not following back.
In plain language, the connection asks Twitch for permission to read:
- who currently follows the connected channel
- which channels the connected account currently follows
The token user in the Unfollow connection is the broadcaster. You can review how Unfollow handles account data in the Unfollow privacy policy. You can also review and revoke app access from your Twitch connection settings.
A granted scope does not set how often an analysis will run. It only allows the follower and following reads that Twitch documents for those scopes.
How to start tracking
Use this short procedure:
- Create an Unfollow account.
- Connect the Twitch account.
- Wait for the first successful analysis to create the starting state.
- Review later follower changes in the dashboard.
Tracking begins after that first successful analysis, not at the moment you open the registration form.
For tracking guides on other platforms, visit the Unfollow blog.
Start tracking future Twitch unfollows
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see who unfollowed you on Twitch?
No, not natively. Twitch does not show you who unfollowed you. The platform only displays your current follower count and follower list. To see who unfollowed you, you need a third-party tracker like Unfollow that monitors your follower list after you connect your account and records changes going forward. The tracker cannot show unfollows that happened before you connected.
Does Twitch notify you when someone unfollows you?
No. Twitch does not send notifications when someone unfollows your channel. The platform does not provide any built-in feature to track unfollowers. You can only see your total follower count change in your channel dashboard, but you cannot identify which specific accounts unfollowed you without using a tracking tool.
How does Twitch unfollower tracking work?
Unfollower tracking works by taking regular snapshots of your follower list after you connect your Twitch account to a tracking service. The service compares each new snapshot with the previous one to identify accounts that are no longer following you. This means tracking starts from the moment you connect your account—it cannot show you who unfollowed you before that connection date. The comparison is automatic and updates your dashboard with unfollower records after each analysis.
What is the difference between an unfollower and not following back on Twitch?
An unfollower is someone who previously followed your channel (recorded in an earlier tracked snapshot) and then stopped following you. "Not following back" means you follow an account that does not currently follow you back. These are different lists: an account can be on your not-following-back list without ever having followed you in the first place, and someone can unfollow you without being on your following list at all.
When does Twitch unfollower tracking begin?
Tracking begins after the first successful analysis stores your starting follower list. Connecting your Twitch account is the step that allows that first analysis to run. The connection itself does not immediately create a completed starting state—the tracker must fetch and store your current follower list first. After that starting state exists, future analyses will detect and record follower changes. For more details about tracking limits and account permissions, see the Unfollow FAQ.
If you want to start tracking future Twitch follower changes, create your free Unfollow account.