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We have a simple app that summarizes the total number of mentions your instagram account gets using the IG-User/tags endpoint on the graph api (https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-api/reference/user/tags/)
The pre-requisite of the app is the user has their fb account linked to their IG – Business or IG – Creator account.
Unfortunately every time we’ve submitted it for review so far it has come back with the same comment from FB:
“Although we were able to login to your app using the Facebook Login authentication, we were unable to test the steps to connect an Instagram business account. As a result, you’ll need to implement an integration flow for an end user to connect their Instagram business account(s)”
Now as I understand it there is no way I can get the user to link their IG account to FB or to a FB page using the API. The “link account” action is purely handled using the Instagram app. Or am I missing something here.
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Answers
Well after 3 weeks of back and forth with multiple seemingly segmented facebook support teams I have been able to get this permission from them.
Turns out that there's an unexplained flow here:
This is verbatim from the information I received from their chat support (but is not found anywhere in the documentation)
"You have needed to provide Test Users on your App Dashboard, grant the test user the Instagram_manage_comments permission and then provide us with the login details. We would then link that to an internal Instagram Business Account."(sic)
The part where they link an internal business account to the test user happens on their end and outside the scope of the app. I confirmed this and even then I failed the review multiple times because apparently the steps to approve IG business permissions have not been standardized yet and sometimes the approver simply doesn't know what needs to be done. It's a strange state of affairs and the answer it seems is to just keep pushing.
I’m having the same problem and looking forward to see some comments to your post since the first day. But I started to think it will never come.
I believe they want a new user to start with minimum permissions (which is the email permission) and add other permission only as they are needed. This requires a mechanism in your app that guide a new user logged in with only email permission to give other permissions (e.g. taping a button that opens up user’s IG business account needs instagram_basic and manage_pages permissions. Or taping “post comment” button needs manage_comments permission.) So your app should open up a window that the user can give permissions when any of these events fires. (or when user decides to take permission(s) back)
This is what I understand from “steps to connect an Instagram business account”.
But I am not sure if my understanding is correct. I would definitely like to hear if you found any solutions.
I’m also having the same problem as you as I’m developing similar service to IGBlade (https://igblade.com) & Social Blade (https://socialblade.com).
I’m beginning the wonder if I should change my app review request so that I would inform Facebook that the permissions my app is requesting work serverside and therefore there’s no need to implement an integration flow for an end user to connect their Instagram business account(s) to my app.
Any thoughts?
Here is what I have done to get the approval
Wait for review and do not forget to change your personal Instagram user password after the review.