TikTok Likes Not Showing: How to Fix 0 Likes Issue on TikTok?

January 13, 2022 PubTok

Have you recently been uploading videos to TikTok but received no likes on any of the last uploads?

Hmm, this may be the 0 likes problem on TikTok.

Much like the TikTok zero views problem which has been discussed earlier, there are similar reasons why you are not getting any likes on TikTok.

While this may happen when creators game the algorithm getting free TikTok likes without considering the amount and regularity of it, technical issues are also likely to take place.

In this post, we will explain the reasons why TikTok likes are stuck at 0 in detail, before giving you the instructions on how to fix it.

According to user reports found on community forums, roughly 0.5% of TikTok creators are concerned about why their TikTok likes not showing. If this helps, you are not the only one seeing no likes on your videos.

Why am I not getting any likes on TikTok?

At its core, there are various reasons why the number of your likes not updating on TikTok. In truth, not every video is supposed to have a growing number of likes. News videos and life updates, for example, tend to generate the most engagement (replays, likes, shares, and comments) within the first 96 hours or the first 4 days.

In comparison, cooking recipes and DIY tips could steadily grow the likes number over several weeks or longer, rather than days. To add, the spike of interest in Halloween costumes or Christmas decorations is within the 2-3 weeks before and after the holidays with related searches dropping to zero the entire year.

Plus, each video seems to have a shelf life, a time when it is considered new and is promoted by the TikTok algorithm. Not that a video is never shown to anyone after a certain time since the upload has passed but the priority is given to new and fresh content. This may have an impact on the number of video views and likes a TikTok video gets.

Here are the most and least possible reasons why TikTok likes not showing.

Most likely reasons for 0 likes on TikToks

❌ Your videos do not receive sufficient distribution due to lack of authority or weak initial reaction from the viewers it was first shown to. If that is the case, you should also have 0 views on all of your recent videos.

❌ Because not everyone knows how to dislike a TikTok video (by long-holding the video and tapping “Not Interested”), users simply ignore the videos they dislike. Thus, you may assume that the content on TikTok wasn’t received well by the audience.

❌ If you have multiple accounts on TikTok with similar posting activity, you should check whether or not the TikTok likes not appearing on other videos and profiles. If at least one of them has zero likes, the other signed up with the same email or phone number is likely to experience the same issue.

❌ The video is under investigation for policy violation, the copyright for example. Perhaps, the content was copied from another creator who then reported it. Not always investigation is disclosed and creators may not know TikTok is temporarily withholding a certain video from showing it to the audience. Again, you should also notice video views leveling off.

❌ Some sort of technical issues with your device (PC or mobile) or app versions such as insufficient storage or issues with cache, or poor connection to the Internet.

❌ There is another glitch in the TikTok system that is causing TikTok likes not showing on your videos. Yes, it is hard to say how likely or unlikely this is after a few incidents when the platform has wiped out multiple accounts in the underage use case, and when billions of videos have lost the views and likes in June of 2020. Luckily, we are all checking Twitter for updates and TikTok would have announced it if it were so.

Less possible causes of TikTok likes not showing

❌ The TikTok app is down and cannot be updated or accessed by the users. Logically, you will see neither videos nor likes in this case. A handful of websites known as “down detectors” would help you find if everything is okay with the app.

❌ If, in addition to TikTok likes not showing, you cannot log into your account there is a chance of your account being deleted or hacked. Account deletion does not wipe out the content completely. You would still be able to retrieve content and restore your account within the first 30-days after deletion.

❌ You may have accidentally set your account privacy settings to “Private” and viewers can no longer see the uploads. 0 views on the videos would correspond to 0 likes problem.

❌ You haven’t noticed a dramatic decrease in the number of profile followers. TikTok statistics show that most creators receive at least 30% of their likes from users who followed their profiles. In terms of views, the opposite is true and no strong correlation was found between profile followers and video views.

❌ Without your notice, your country has banned the app. Because the TikTok algorithm is heavily bound to the location a creator lives in, the ban may explain not only why TikTok likes not showing up in notifications, but why views are stuck at zero too. While you may argue that it is possible to use VPN and still watch TikToks, the app algorithm is likely to show videos from a country for which VPN is selected. For the same geography-based recommendation system.

❌ The videos stopped appearing on the For You page completely. The reason this is among the less likely causes is that chances that all of your videos before went viral and then stopped abruptly are slim.

Why are my likes disappearing on TikTok

While similar in results, since little to no likes are appearing on videos, this question differs from the above mentioned and thus has its own reasons and fixes.

If at any point after uploading TikTok likes start disappearing, and you have noticed a decrease in the overall number of likes on your profile, it may be time to revisit your TikTok Analytics dashboard. If it confirms the drop in likes, you should consider possible reasons and take measures accordingly.

The two likely causes of TikTok likes disappearance are:

#1 Another glitch in the system on the TikTok side. Who knows, perhaps, the summer of 2020 when millions of users found their videos without any views or likes is repeating itself?

#2 A new TikTok update has been removing fake likes from creator accounts. Not necessarily that the likes you have purchased were all bot likes, but the speed they appeared got them flagged.

Even though it is less possible, people who liked your video(s) have decided to revert their likes by finding and unliking their videos. Theoretically, while such a situation is possible with occasional users it may not dramatically decrease the number of likes you received.

If you are a prolific creator with hundreds of videos, you may not notice if any of the videos were taken down by TikTok for policy violation. The latter would not only decrease the overall number of likes on your profile but bring your whole existence on TikTok to a halt.

The one thing is clear, TikTok likes not showing on videos or disappearing for no apparent reason because of algorithm updates or glitches in the system.

If you are worried about whether or not your account was banned or suspended, you should check out the email associated with it. If you were to violate the Community Guidelines and cause account suspension or permanent ban, TikTok will officially notify you.

Found no such email in your inbox?

You may need a few tips on how to fix the “TikTok likes not showing” issue.

How to Fix 0 Likes Problem Step-By-Step

Now, off to the most interesting part – TikTok likes not showing and what can you do to fix it.

Depending on the reason why no likes appear on video and/or profile, you could try a specific solution for it. However, if the reason is vague or wrinkles your brain, feel free to try all of the methods listed below one by one.

📌 If something is wrong with the app or your device:

STEP 1. Check whether your Internet connection is okay by switching it on and off, or connecting from another device.

STEP 2. Check the “Storage” settings to make sure you have 300 MB or more of free space. Free up some space by clearing the app’s cache choosing “Clear Data” when accessing the “Manage Apps” inside device Settings and finding the TikTok app. Clearing cache will not delete your TikTok account or any of the videos you uploaded or liked, it will only log you out of your profile.

STEP 3. Update TikTok to the latest version for which you may need to uninstall, delete and download and install the app again.

STEP 4. Try to switch on VPN and see if the content and likes are shown differently and if the connection to the platform has been improved.

STEP 5. If you think your account was hacked you should remove suspicious devices, reset your password, and or add your phone number for additional verification.

STEP 6. Check both your account privacy settings and video settings to make sure the videos are visible to all TikTok users.

📌 If you suspect issues with the TikTok algorithm

STEP 1. Stop trying to fool the algorithm by jumping from one service offering likes to another. Rather focus on select ones with stable speed and best quality that also offer likes daily. Hundreds of thousands of likes on one video with a couple on the other are hardly organic.

STEP 2. Revisit your strategy, changing what, how, and when you upload your videos. Perhaps, you’ve been overly aggressive with content which made the algorithm undervalue it.

STEP 3. Take a look at Community Guidelines, seriously. Make sure your videos do not violate any policies in any way, and if they do – time to change it.

STEP 4. Switch your focus to another account and put more thought into content creation. If shadowbanned, there is nothing you can really do but wait until the account is restored in its authority.

To Sum Up

TikTok likes not showing is a common issue that roughly 0.5% of new creators experience. It implies that little to zero likes appear on several consequent uploads a creator makes, or the views on both new and existing posts suddenly disappear.

Some users may be concerned about why they stopped receiving notifications that someone has liked them, or why the likes are disappearing from posts. Here in this post, we have covered these and more reasons why your likes number not updating on TikTok.

The first thing you should try to fix the TikTok zero likes problem is to screen your device and app version and settings. Once technical issues are eliminated, you should consider the possibility of poor quality content, TikTok shadowban, or people unfollowing you.

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