Quick setup checklist
Step 1
Switch your Instagram account to a professional account
- Open Instagram and go to your profile.
- Tap the menu icon ☰ → Settings → Account.
- Scroll to For professionals → Account type and tools.
- Tap Switch to professional account and complete the prompts.
Result: Your account is now a professional (business) account, which is required for business messaging features.
Technical Detail: Instagram Direct Messaging for businesses is managed via Meta permissions, so personal accounts can’t be connected as a channel.
Step 2
Create or access Meta Business Suite and connect Instagram
- Create a Meta Business Suite account (if you don’t already have one).
- In Meta Business Suite (desktop), go to Settings (left sidebar).
- Click Business assets.
- Open Instagram Accounts.
- Click Claim Instagram Account.
- Accept terms and complete the claim process.
Warning: Claiming/connecting Instagram in Meta Business Suite does not automatically connect it to a Facebook Page. That’s a separate step.
Step 3
Link your Instagram account to a Facebook Page
- Open Instagram → go to your profile.
- Tap Edit profile.
- Under Public Business Information, select Page.
- Choose:
- an existing Facebook Page, or
- create a new one.
Result: Your Instagram professional account is linked to a Facebook Page (required for the RapidPro.app connection flow).
Step 4
Allow access to messages in Connected Tools
- Open Instagram → go to your business profile.
- Tap ☰ → Privacy.
- Scroll to Messages.
- Under Connected Tools, enable Allow access to messages.
Result: RapidPro.app can send and receive Instagram DMs once the channel is connected.
Tip: If your channel connects but inbound/outbound doesn’t work, re-check this setting first—missed Connected Tools permissions are a common cause.
Step 5
Add the Instagram channel in RapidPro.app
- In RapidPro.app, click Settings (gear icon).
- Click + New Channel.
- Scroll to Instagram and select it.
- Click Add an Instagram business account.
- Confirm your Facebook profile and click Continue → Get started.
- Log into Instagram when prompted.
- In the Meta permissions screens:
- choose whether to grant access to all businesses or selected ones,
- make sure you check the Page that is connected to your Instagram account.
- Return to RapidPro.app and select the Facebook Page name that appears.
- Click it to complete adding the channel.
Warning: If the correct Page isn’t selected during permissions, the channel may connect incompletely and messaging can fail.
Common Issues
I don’t see Instagram as an option when adding a channel
Fixes:
- Confirm your Instagram account is switched to Professional (Business).
- Confirm Instagram is claimed/connected in Meta Business Suite.
My Page doesn’t show up during connection
Fixes:
- Confirm your Instagram account is linked to a Facebook Page (Step 3).
- During Meta permissions, ensure you checked the correct Page tied to Instagram.
The channel connects, but messages don’t send or arrive
Fixes:
- Re-check Allow access to messages in Instagram (Connected Tools).
- Check the channel log in RapidPro.app for permission/auth errors.
- Reconnect by re-running the add-channel flow if permissions were missed.
I connected Instagram to Meta Business Suite, but it still won’t connect in RapidPro.app
Fix:
- Make sure Instagram is connected to a Facebook Page—Meta Business Suite connection alone isn’t enough.