Connect Instagram

Connect your Instagram account and your agent answers the direct messages customers send you. You sign in with Instagram itself, so you don't need a Facebook Page. One sign-in connects one account.

Before you start

You need:

• An Instagram professional account, either Business or Creator
• To sign in with Instagram and allow messaging access

No Facebook Page is needed. You also need to be a workspace owner or admin, and your plan needs a free messaging channel. See Plans and limits.

Connect your account

1. 1

   Open the Instagram connect dialog

   In the sidebar, click Channels, then Connect on the Instagram card.

2. 2

   Sign in with Instagram

   Click Continue with Instagram. An Instagram window opens. Check that it's signed in to the account you want to connect. If not, switch accounts before you continue.

3. 3

   Allow access

   Allow the messaging access Instagram asks for.

4. 4

   Confirm the account

   Back in OrbitBase, confirm the professional account your agent should answer and click Connect. You have 15 minutes to confirm before you need to sign in again.

When it's connected, the account appears under Connected on the Channels page. Send it a DM from another Instagram account to test it.

Connect more accounts

Each Instagram account is its own channel. To add another, click Add account on the Instagram card and sign in to the next account. Each account counts toward your plan's messaging channels.

How Instagram behaves

• Direct messages only. The agent answers DMs. It doesn't reply to comments on your posts.
• Buttons and cards. Choices show as tappable buttons, and products show as cards with their photos.
• Plain text. Instagram shows replies as plain text, so OrbitBase removes formatting such as bold markers before sending.
• Typing indicator. Customers see that you're typing while the agent writes, and while a teammate types a reply in the inbox.
• Files. Customers can send photos, voice notes and files, and your team can attach images and files to replies.
• Replies from the Instagram app. If someone on your team replies from the Instagram app, the reply shows in the OrbitBase conversation, and the agent stops answering so it doesn't talk over them.

Staying connected

Instagram's access expires after a while. OrbitBase renews it automatically before it expires, so you don't need to do anything. If renewal ever fails, for example because the account's password changed or access was removed, the channel shows Not delivering and owners and admins get an email. Click Reconnect and sign in again. See Connection health.

The 24-hour messaging window

Instagram only lets a business reply within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Your agent answers straight away, so this rarely matters for the agent. It matters when a teammate picks up an older conversation. See Messaging windows.

Troubleshooting

I connected the wrong account

Disconnect it on the Channels page. Then connect again, and switch accounts on the Instagram sign-in screen before you allow access.

I can't allow access

The account is probably personal. Switch it to a Business or Creator account in the Instagram app, then try again.

"Instagram didn't let us receive this account's messages"

Check that it's a professional account, then try again.

The account shows "Connected to another workspace"

Each account can only be connected to one OrbitBase workspace. Disconnect it there first, then connect it here.

Next steps