Skip to main content

Prerequisites for Connecting Your Instagram Account to Wati

Updated over 2 weeks ago

Summary

Before you can connect your Instagram account to WATI, you must complete a few essential setup steps. This guide walks you through the required prerequisites to ensure a smooth integration. Following these steps will allow you to manage Instagram Direct Messages (DMs) via WATI and automate customer interactions efficiently.

This feature is included in all Wati's latest plans.

Instructions

Prerequisites

1. Ensure You Have an Instagram Professional Account

To integrate Instagram with WATI, your account must be a Professional account, as required by Facebook's API policies. Instagram offers two types of Professional accounts:

  • Business Account

  • Creator Account The main difference between a Professional account and a Personal account is that Professional accounts must be public and provide additional business tools for engagement and analytics.

How to Check or Convert to a Professional Account

If you are using a Personal Instagram account, you need to convert it to a Professional account:

  1. Open the Instagram app on your mobile device.

  2. Go to your profile and tap on the hamburger menu (☰) in the top-right corner.

  3. Select Settings and Privacy> Account type and tools.

  4. Tap Switch to the professional account.

  5. Follow the prompts and choose between a Business or Creator account.

  6. Complete the setup process. If you don’t have an Instagram account, learn how to create one here.

2. Link Your Instagram Account to a Facebook Page

Another essential requirement is to link your Instagram account to a Facebook Page managed by your business. This step is necessary for authentication when connecting Instagram to WATI.

How to Link Instagram to a Facebook Page

  1. Open Facebook and navigate to your Business Page.

  2. Click on Settings > Linked Accounts > Instagram.

  3. Click Connect Account and log in with your Instagram credentials.

  4. Confirm the linking process. For a detailed guide, check out this step-by-step tutorial.

3. Enable WATI Access to Your Instagram Messages

To allow WATI to access and manage your Instagram DMs, you must enable message permissions within the Instagram app.

Steps to Enable Message Access:

  1. Open the Instagram app on your mobile device.

  2. Go to your profile and tap on the hamburger menu (☰) in the top-right corner.

  3. Scroll down and select Messages and story replies.

  4. Tap Message controls.

  5. Enable the setting for Allow access to messages. For more details, refer to Instagram’s official guide.

Final Step

Once all prerequisites are completed, you are ready to proceed with connecting your Instagram account to WATI! Follow this guide to complete the integration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General Questions

  1. Why do I need to complete these prerequisites before connecting Instagram to WATI? Completing these prerequisites ensures that WATI can integrate seamlessly with your Instagram account. Facebook's API requires certain settings, such as having a Professional account and linking it to a Facebook Page, to enable messaging access.

  2. Is Instagram integration available on all WATI plans? Yes, this feature is available on all new WATI plans.

Instagram Professional Account

  1. Do I need an Instagram Professional account to connect to WATI? Yes. Facebook's API requires that your Instagram account be a Professional account (either Business or Creator) to enable third-party integrations like WATI.

  2. How can I check if I have a Professional account?

    • Open the Instagram app.

    • Go to your profile and tap the hamburger menu (☰).

    • Select Settings and Privacy > Account type and tools.

    • If you see an option to Switch to a Professional account, you are currently using a Personal account.

  3. Can I use a Personal Instagram account with WATI? No, you must switch to a Professional account.

  4. How do I switch to an Instagram Professional account?

    • Open Instagram and go to your profile.

    • Tap the hamburger menu (☰) in the top-right corner.

    • Select Settings and Privacy > Account type and tools.

    • Tap Switch to a professional account and follow the instructions.

Facebook Page Linking

  1. Why do I need to link my Instagram account to a Facebook Page? Instagram requires this connection for authentication when integrating with third-party platforms like WATI.

  2. How do I link my Instagram account to a Facebook Page?

    • Open Facebook and go to your Business Page.

    • Navigate to Settings > Linked Accounts > Instagram.

    • Click Connect Account and log in with your Instagram credentials.

  3. Can I connect my Instagram account without linking it to a Facebook Page? No, Facebook requires that your Instagram account be linked to a Facebook Page for API access.

Message Permissions

  1. Why do I need to allow WATI access to my Instagram messages?

  2. Granting message access allows WATI to display Instagram DMs on your dashboard, enabling you to respond to customers directly.

  3. How do I enable message access for WATI?

    • Open Instagram and go to your profile.

    • Tap the hamburger menu (☰) in the top-right corner.

    • Scroll down to Messages and story replies and tap Message controls.

    • Enable Allow access to messages.

  4. What happens if I don’t enable message access? WATI will not be able to receive or send messages through Instagram.

Related Articles
Prerequisites before you Get Started with Wati
Introduction to Instagram @ Wati
How to Connect Your Instagram Account to Wati
Struggling to Connect Your Instagram with Wati? Here's the Fix.
Prerequisites for Connecting your Facebook Messenger to Wati
Did this answer your question?