Connect your account
Link your Instagram professional account through Instagram’s official sign-in so Askenly can send and receive messages for you. It takes a couple of minutes and Askenly never sees your password. Facebook and WhatsApp are coming soon.
Before you connect
Check these four things first. Almost every failed connection comes down to one of them.
- Your Instagram account is a professional account: Business or Creator. No Facebook Page is needed.
- In the Instagram app, open Settings, then Messages and story replies, then Message controls, then Connected tools, and turn on Allow access to messages.
- You’re signed in to Askenly as the workspace owner or an admin. Members can’t connect channels.
- Your plan has room for another account: 1 account on Free, 3 accounts on Starter, 8 accounts on Growth and unlimited accounts on Scale.
Why Askenly needs a professional account
Instagram only lets outside tools read comments and send DMs for Business and Creator accounts, through its official API. A personal account has no API access at all, so no tool can automate it without breaking Instagram’s rules.
Switching is free and takes a minute in the Instagram app under Settings, then Account type and tools. Your followers, posts and username stay the same. Creator suits people who publish under their own name; Business suits shops, studios and services. Askenly works the same with both.
The Allow access to messages switch is separate from the account type. With it off, Askenly can see comments but Instagram refuses every DM it tries to send, and those sends show as failed on the automation’s page.
Connect Instagram
New workspaces do this in the last onboarding step. Existing workspaces use Settings → Channels.
Choose Instagram
In onboarding, Instagram is selected on the Connect your social account step. In the app, open Settings → Channels and select Connect.
Select Connect Instagram
Instagram’s sign-in screen opens in the same tab.
Sign in on Instagram
Use the username and password of the professional account you want to connect. If the browser is already signed in to a different account, switch accounts on Instagram’s screen first.
Approve the permissions
Instagram lists what Askenly may access, such as your profile, posts, comments and messages. Approve all of them so automations can run.
Back in Askenly
You return automatically. Onboarding finishes and your dashboard opens, or Settings → Channels shows the account as connected.
- @glowstudioInstagram · ConnectedActive
- @glowstudio.academyAuthorized on Instagram. Activate it once a slot is free.Pending
- @oldshopnameDisconnected · records keptDisconnected
- FacebookFacebook Page conversationsComing soon
- WhatsAppWhatsApp Business messagesComing soon
If the connection doesn’t finish
Askenly shows one of these messages. Each one says which step Instagram refused.
| Message you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| That Instagram account isn't a professional account. Switch it to Business or Creator in the Instagram app, then connect again. | Switch the account to Business or Creator in the Instagram app: Settings, then Account type and tools. Then connect again. |
| Instagram wouldn't share this account with Askenly. Make sure it's a Business or Creator account (Instagram → Settings → Account type and tools), then try again. If it still fails, contact support. | Check the account type, then connect again. If it still fails, contact our customer support team with the time you tried. |
| That Instagram account is already connected to another Askenly workspace. Disconnect it there first, or connect a different account. | Open the other workspace and disconnect the account in Settings → Channels, or connect a different account. |
| Your plan's connected-account limit is reached. The account is saved and waiting: disconnect another account or upgrade your plan, then activate it. | Upgrade in Settings → Billing & subscription, or disconnect an account you no longer use. |
| Instagram didn't accept that sign-in. Try connecting again. | Sign in again on Instagram’s screen and approve every permission it asks for. |
| Instagram connected without the permissions Askenly needs to reply to comments and messages. Connect again and allow every permission on Instagram's screen. | Connect again and leave every permission switched on. Without them Askenly can’t reply to comments or messages. |
| Instagram didn't finish the connection. Try again. | Wait a minute and connect again. If it keeps failing, contact our customer support team with the time you tried. |
| Connection canceled. | You closed Instagram’s screen before finishing. Start again from Connect Instagram. |
| That connection link expired. Try again. | The connection link timed out. Start again from Connect Instagram. |
Accounts waiting for a free place
When your plan’s account limit is already used, Instagram still lets you sign in, and Askenly saves the account as Pending instead of throwing the sign-in away. It shows in Settings → Channels with an Activate button.
Free a place by disconnecting an account you no longer use, or upgrade in Settings → Billing & subscription, then press Activate. The account goes live without signing in to Instagram again.
What Askenly can see once you’re connected
Askenly reads your profile, your posts, Reels and active Stories (so you can pick which ones start an automation), the comments on them and the direct messages sent to your account. It stores the access token encrypted and never shows it in a browser.
Automations run on Askenly’s servers, so they keep working when you close the browser or log out. They only stop when Instagram disconnects the account, which happens if you change your password, remove Askenly from Instagram’s Apps and websites list, or turn off Allow access to messages.
You can disconnect at any time in Settings → Channels, or remove Askenly from Instagram under Settings, then Apps and websites. Disconnecting stops all access and deletes the stored access token. The account’s contacts, conversations and history stay in Askenly, so you can connect it again later.
Working with several accounts
Each Instagram account in a workspace keeps its own contacts, conversations, automations and scheduled posts. The account switcher in the app header chooses which account you’re looking at, and Inbox, Automations, Schedule, Contacts and Analytics follow that choice. Contacts you add by hand or who book through your booking page belong to the whole workspace and show under every account.
If you run accounts for clients, connect each one with the client’s own Instagram sign-in, so nobody has to share a password with you.
Connection questions
Do I need a Facebook Page?
No. Askenly uses Instagram Login, which works with Business and Creator accounts on their own.
Why can’t I select Facebook, WhatsApp or X?
They’re marked Coming soon. Instagram is the channel available today.
Do automations stop when I log out of Askenly?
No. Automations keep running while you’re logged out.
Can one Instagram account be in two workspaces?
It can be connected in only one workspace at a time. Disconnect it from the first workspace before connecting it to another. Each workspace keeps its own history for that account.
I changed my Instagram password. What now?
Instagram signs connected tools out when the password changes. Open Settings → Channels and connect the account again. Its history comes back, and its automations stay paused until you turn them on.