Connect your Instagram Business account to Distance to manage inbound messages in your Inbox.
Requirements
An Instagram Business account
Admin access to the associated Facebook Business account
Important: Personal Instagram accounts are not supported.
How to connect Instagram
From the Distance dashboard, navigate to Channels.
Under Chat channels, locate Connect to Instagram inbox and click Connect.
You will be routed to Meta/Instagram to sign in. Log in with your Instagram Business account and confirm the requested permissions. Make sure to select all available Instagram accounts and related permissions when prompted to ensure full messaging functionality.
Once connected, inbound Instagram messages sent to your Business account will appear in Distance.
Important setup note
During the Meta authorization process, make sure to select all available Instagram accounts and permissions when prompted. Meta may create multiple linked assets, and selecting all ensures the connection is established correctly and messaging works as expected.
Instagram inbox behavior
Once connected, Instagram messages are organized as follows:
Message categories
Primary – Default inbox for new conversations from followers
General – Used for less urgent or secondary conversations
Requests – Messages from non-followers
Requests must be accepted before they are marked as seen. If a request is answered through Distance, it is automatically moved to the General folder.
Pre-existing conversations - Conversations that occurred before connecting Instagram remain in their original folders within the Instagram app.
Notifications - Instagram message notifications may be disabled by default. You can enable them in Instagram’s Inbox Settings if needed.
What to expect after connecting social channels
Inbound Facebook and Instagram messages appear in the Distance Inbox
Conversations are logged for visibility and follow-up
Your team can manage social inquiries alongside other channels
Messaging behavior remains subject to Meta platform rules
