Connect a professional Instagram account to bring eligible direct messages into the Hellotext Inbox. Once connected, your team and compatible automations can reply from Hellotext with shared customer context.
Instagram and Facebook Messenger are separate integrations. Connecting one does not connect the other.
Before you connect Instagram
Confirm that:
- The Instagram account is professional: Business or Creator.
- You can sign in directly to the account you want to connect.
- You can authorize the requested messaging and synchronization permissions.
- The account is not connected to another Hellotext business.
- Your Hellotext subscription is active.
- Your team knows who should receive and reply to Instagram conversations in the Inbox.
An Instagram account can be connected to only one Hellotext business at a time.
Connect Instagram
- In Hellotext, go to Settings.
- Select Integrations, then Explore integrations.
- Find Instagram and open the integration.
- Sign in directly with the professional Instagram account you want to use.
- Review and authorize the requested permissions.
- Return to Hellotext and confirm that the successful integration message shows the correct username.
- Close the wizard to return to the integrations list.
Hellotext can begin receiving messages after the account appears connected. Following the account does not automatically make someone reachable: the customer must start an eligible interaction on Instagram.
Verify the connection
Use another Instagram account to test the channel:
- Send a new direct message to the connected professional account.
- Open the Hellotext Inbox and find the conversation.
- Confirm that Hellotext created or updated the correct customer profile.
- Reply from Hellotext.
- Confirm that the reply appears on Instagram and the conversation state updates in the Inbox.
Test with a real DM. A public comment, story mention, or other Instagram notification may not create an Inbox conversation.
If the account is connected to another business
Hellotext does not connect the same Instagram account to two businesses at once. If you see a warning that the account is already connected:
- Open the Hellotext business where it is currently connected.
- Go to Settings > Integrations.
- Open the Instagram account menu and remove it.
- Return to the correct business and connect it again.
If you do not recognize the other business or cannot access it, contact Hellotext support before removing or reauthorizing the account.
Reconnect Instagram
Hellotext can mark the integration as disconnected if the password changes, authorization expires, permissions are removed, or Meta invalidates access.
When this happens:
- Go to Settings > Integrations.
- Find the disconnected Instagram account.
- Select Reconnect Instagram.
- Sign in again and authorize the requested permissions.
- Send a new test DM from another account.
Reconnecting restores the channel, but it does not make a conversation eligible again after its messaging window has closed.
Troubleshoot the connection
If authorization fails or returns to Hellotext without connecting:
- Confirm that you signed in to the correct professional account.
- Verify that the account is still Business or Creator.
- Accept all permissions required by Hellotext.
- Check that the account is not connected to another Hellotext business.
- Try again from Settings > Integrations.
If the account appears active but the test DM does not arrive:
- Send the message from another account, not from the business account to itself.
- Confirm that it is a direct message or compatible story reply.
- Verify that Hellotext still has the requested permissions.
- Reconnect Instagram if Hellotext shows an authorization warning.
For problems after the conversation already appears in the Inbox, see Instagram DM fundamentals and Why a message did not send.