Update (december 2018) : check our new analysis about Instagram Graph API Changes replacing Instagram old API deprecated in december 2018

Update (november 2017) : you can no longer apply for Instagram API permissions. Only basic permission can be requested. For other, you have to find an approved provider, like Dialogfeed Instagram API. 

You discovered the famous 2016 Instagram API changes ?
Rate limit, token, authentification, API endpoints  permission, restriction, approval, deprecation … the new Instagram API changes are various. Via our Instagram developper experience & successful permissions approval, we share you our first impressions.

Which consequences for a 2017 social media campaign ?

Hashtag contents search needs Instagram authentification

This is a big change which is impacting lots of developper apps.
After 1st June 2016,  searching for a hashtag on a third party provider requires to enter an Instagram login/pass.
Before 1st June 2016, it wasn’t necessary.

All API endpoints require a valid access_token
All API endpoints require a specific permission scope granted by the user

 

Our opinion: this is one of the most visible update consequence for users. For live search app, this is almost their end. For asynchronous app, this requires to contact end customers and ask them for authentification, which requires an Instagram account. This means, as lots of customers won’t do it, that lots of Instagram feeds will be not updated from 1st June.

For events, real time is no longer possible

This means slower post updates for public contents.
Instagram is stopping its real time update feature (called RTU) for hashtags (tags). This requires to ask Instagram API for new updates, instead of waiting for Instagram informing you there are new posts: this means you get the newest photos after several minutes instead of 0-2 minutes (RTU).

Deprecation of Realtime subscriptions for tags, locations and geographies

Our opinion: this is not helping Instagram adoption in events. For live applications, Twitter is more adapted, regarding update times (via its real time streaming feature). Facebook is already out due to its decision not to stream hashtags. Other social media (Pinterest, Youtube, Vine…) hashtags are not widely adopted enough to compete with Twitter.

For high quantity hashtags, there is a rate limit

As RTU is deprecated. there is no other way than to ask every X minutes to Instagram for the newest posts with a token. To avoid overloads and abuses, Instagram introduced a rate limit on these calls per access token.

CLIENT STATUS RATE LIMIT

Sandbox 500 / hour
Live 5000 / hour

Our opinion: this is a complex point to understand for Instagram API users as there is no way to directly know if you reached the limit or not. The key consequence of this is that you may sometimes lose Instagram updates in a 1h window.

Sandbox versus Live mode

If your app is not approved, you are in sandbox mode. Lots of developpers failed to get their apps approved (and go in Live mode) so they are falling in this sandbox. This is basically a very restricted Live mode. What if using sandbox mode for live app ? No, as sandbox limitations are really too significant : no way to get hashtag contents, limitation to 20 users, rate limit…

Our opinion: this is the most feared consequence for any developper. Not being in live mode is almost meaning giving up an app. Apart from applying again through approval process, the alternative solution is to use an approved Instagram provider (such as Dialogfeed).

You are using Instagram hashtags in your feed ? Now your turn.

If you have Dialogfeed,  one simple action is required. What should you do ?

Bad News:
Since the 1st of June, due to Instagram API update, your #hashtags are no longer aggregated.

Good News:
Dialogfeed is already approved by Instagram to do it. So we can continue to aggregate your # again if you do the following.
To continue to get them, your action is required in Dialogfeed back office.

Instagram API update requires Instagram login/pass for hashtags. If you don’t have, create one on Instagram. Please follow these steps to assure service continuation.

1 – Login to Dialogfeed user interface & open one of your social wall application.

2 – Go to source & go to Instagram source list

On the right of each Instagram hashtag, click on the blue icon.
Once you do the authentification, Instagram will ask you to accept to authorize Dialogfeed to access public content and your basic information : click on authorize. That is done !

Note: even if Instagram says we access your basic information (profile info), don’t worry, we don’t take or use them.  It is just part of Instagram process.

Photo: the Instagram popup on Dialogfeed back office after authentification

If your app stopped to get Instagram hashtag, you need an Instagram API data agregator: what can you do ?

You must find a social feed provider approved by Instagram. There are 2 types:

– Social Instagram data feed providers like Dialogfeed: they replace Instagram API feed, by delivering you the requested data via JSON or XML data feeds. You may add other social media such as Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest, Linkedin or Twitter. Try Dialogfeed social data feed.

– Social Instagram widget providers like Dialogfeed: if you need to build a widget to embed on a website, replace yours by a ready to use widget. There are providers, but few are approved by Instagram API. Dialogfeed allows you to embed right now your Instagram widget for a hashtag campaign or event.

Photo: Dialogfeed API enables to deliver Instagram data feeds (hashtags, accounts) to any B2B developers along with Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, Pinterest…

Instagram API update : overview

A brief summary

See our article about  Best Tips for Instagram API Update, Review & Permission

Dialogfeed update

We have been approved by Instagram: we have the basic persmission and public content permission.
What does it mean ? We can aggregate Instagram user contents and public hashtags posts.

Photo: Instagram API newest updates in June 2016 with a permission approval process

Dialogfeed is among world pionners social media hub & social wall provider and powers events & websites since 2012 ! Our service is approved by Instagram : we have gone through Instagram June API update submission process and got all necessary permissions approved.