Instagram's December 2018 API policy update removed access to user profile information (name and profile image) for hashtag-based posts. As a result, Feeds can no longer display the poster's username and instead shows "An Instagram User" for hashtag-sourced posts — this is an Instagram API restriction, not a Finalsite bug.
💡Quick answers
- Why does Feeds show "An Instagram User" instead of real Instagram profile names? Instagram's 2018 API policy update removed access to user profile information for hashtag posts; Feeds can no longer retrieve usernames or profile images from hashtag-based feeds, so it displays "An Instagram User" instead.
- Does this affect all Feeds Instagram posts or only some? Only hashtag-based posts; posts sourced directly from a connected Instagram account page (not via hashtag) may still display correctly depending on the connection type.
- Is there a workaround to display real profile names? The limitation is enforced by Instagram's API and cannot be bypassed by Finalsite; connecting an Instagram account directly as a source (rather than using hashtag search) is the recommended approach.
This change is due to API policy updates on Instagram's end and is affecting all platforms that connect with Instagram.
“On 11 December 2018, Instagram updated it’s API Policy in which it deprecated some of it’s important endpoints. So, now it’s not possible to get posts on the basis of hashtags and locations through Standard Instagram account."
A lot of other major changes took place because of this updated Instagram API Policy. One such major change is that, from now on, no user information will be available with hashtag posts. As a result, Feeds can no longer access personally identifiable information, such as the profile image and username, with hashtag posts. Instead, the post will say “An Instagram User” as the username text.
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