On January 30, 2018, Instagram launched a new Graph API and announced a plan to deprecate their older API Platform over the next two years, beginning on July 31, 2018. On April 4, 2018, in the wake of Facebook’s work to protect user data, Instagram accelerated the deprecation schedule by immediately deprecating some of the older APIs.
The changes apply to all companies that use the Instagram APIs, including third-party developers like Wyng and CFA, as well as brands and agencies.
Two of the changes are relevant to Wyng customers. These changes involve Instagram steering brands to engage with consumers around @mentions instead of just #hashtags alone:
- As of 4/4/18, Instagram no longer allows brands to comment on an Instagram post via the older Platform API. Brands will be allowed to comment via the new Graph API if the brand is tagged or mentioned in a post. Instagram originally planned to make this change on 7/31, but yesterday (4/4) they made it effective immediately.Until we add support for the new Graph API, brands that previously used Wyng to auto-comment on Instagram posts in order to request rights to UGC should manually comment instead.
Once we add support for the new Graph API, brands that prefer auto-commenting to request rights to UGC should encourage consumers to @mention the brand in their post instead of just including a #hashtag. Using Wyng, brands will be able to auto-comment on the Instagram posts the brand is @mentioned in to request rights to UGC.
Prior to Instagram changing the deprecation schedule, we had planned to support the new Graph API by 7/1 — 30 days before the original deprecation date of 7/31. Following the changes from Instagram yesterday, we are reassessing the new Graph API requirements and our timeline for supporting the API.
- Starting on 12/11/2018, Instagram will no longer allow brands to read Instagram posts via the API unless the brand is tagged or mentioned in the post.After 12/11, brands that use Wyng to simply collect UGC from Instagram (without requesting rights to reuse it for other purposes) should encourage consumers to @mention the brand when posting UGC, instead of just including a #hashtag.
Because Wyng will implement the new Graph API, we will continue to support the same Instagram-focused use cases that we always have. Also, the new Graph API opens up opportunities for us to continue innovating on Instagram by adding new Instagram-focused features and use cases in the near future.
Instagram notes that these changes are designed to help businesses better manage their organic presence on Instagram. In addition, we believe these changes will lead to a better experience for consumers and more authentic consumer engagement with brands.
