Grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get comfortable because today – it’s story time. 7 weeks ago, on June 13th, I was temporarily banned on Instagram. I was banned for two weeks, and it was a frustrating and confusing two weeks to say the least, trying to figure out why this was happening. I wanted to share my experience with the “Instagram action block” in a blog post in case it might be helpful to anyone who might be going through the same thing and trying to find answers. So let’s get into it!
The First Ban
“Your Account Was Compromised”
On June 13th, around 7 PM, I went to share a picture on my Instagram. When the post published, I noticed that the picture was there, but the caption was missing. I assumed it was a glitch, so I deleted the picture and tried a couple more times, but the caption still wouldn’t load. Then a pop up appeared:
I have NEVER used a service to gain fake likes or followers. The only thing I could think of was that maybe my account had been hacked. Regardless, I had to change my password in order to regain access to my account. Once I did, I checked my login history and all the logins were from my devices, so it didn’t appear as if anyone else had tried to login to my account.
“Temporarily Blocked…Sharing Your Account with a Service that Helps You Get More Likes or Followers”
I decided not to try and publish the post again that night, and to wait until the next day. The next morning, I was scrolling through my feed and went to like someone’s photo. Then a pop appeared:
This was upsetting. Why was I was being punished for something I didn’t even do?! I hit the “Tell us” option on the prompt above, and also submitted a report under the “Report a Problem” tab on Instagram, but I knew that the chances of actually hearing back from someone was next to none. Sure enough, I didn’t receive a response or resolution, and I just had to wait out the one week ban.
The Second Ban
I had read online that if your ban started at “x” time and says that it will last “y” amount of time, the ban will last all the way until that day at that exact time. So since my ban started around 7 PM on June 13th, I assumed my ban would not lift until 7 PM on June 20th. To be safe, I gave it an extra day and didn’t try to post anything until June 21st.
“We Restrict Certain Activity”
So on June 21st, around 7 PM, I tried to publish a post. At first, just like last time, the picture was there but the caption was not. I deleted the post, and tried to publish it again, and this time both the picture and the caption were there. I then went to add my hashtags to the comments (as I normally do). Then a pop up appeared:
My ban had been extended another week!! This was UNBELIEVABLE. I felt so frustrated and helpless at this point, as the bans kept happening and I didn’t know why, and I couldn’t reach anyone to help me.
What Triggers an Instagram Action Block
During the two weeks that I was banned, I scoured the internet for answers. I learned that there are a surprising number of ways you can trigger an action block. Some of the things I found were:
- Violating Instagram community guidelines
- Using banned hashtags
- Using third party apps to gain fake likes/followers
- Engaging (liking, commenting, following/unfollowing) too much/quickly
- Spamming comments and/or DMs (e.g. copying and pasting the same message)
- Your account is still new
- Someone reports your content
I found so many questions posted on forums with the same situation as mine – the account was blocked for using services to get more likes or followers, but the user swears they never have. Some people said that if you engage too much and/or too quickly, Instagram might think you’re a robot and issue the “using services to get more likes or followers” action block. (That’s really misleading if so!) Others said sometimes Instagram just makes a mistake.
Unfortunately, none of these triggers seemed to apply to me, so I kept searching for answers and solutions…
Solutions I Tried That Didn’t Work
Along with triggers for an action block, I also found several suggestions on how to resolve it. For completeness’ sake, I’ll include them here, but note that these did not work for me:
- Uninstall and reinstall the app
- Remove link in bio (I didn’t do this, as the link to my blog has been in my bio for years, and shouldn’t have been the cause. After some more Googling, it seems like this is more so for links that might appear like spam to Instagram, but a link to a personal blog is allowed.)
- Report it to Instagram via the “Report a Problem” tab on the app
- Contact “Instagram for Business” on Facebook (responses are automatic, and direct you to Instagram Help Center)
The Culprit: The Preview App
Throughout my ban, my husband had been suggesting that maybe the culprit was the Preview App that I was using. I told him it shouldn’t be because I had been using it well before the ban started; they claim to be “officially reviewed” and “approved” by Instagram; and even if they weren’t, it’s just an app to preview my grid, not to gain fake likes or followers. However, as I was nearing the end of my second ban and I wasn’t any closer to an answer or solution, I started to consider the possibility.
I started reading through the reviews in the App Store to see if anyone mentioned having similar issues. At first, I couldn’t find anything. They have 38,815 ratings, 4.7 out of 5 stars, and tons of positive reviews. I decided to keep on scrolling, and scrolling, and scrolling until I found these two reviews:
The first one is exactly what happened to me! Now I know that two reviews out of the many I scrolled through isn’t much, and for all I know the app really is approved by Instagram. I also do NOT know for sure what caused my account to be blocked, and probably never will. What I do know is that I uninstalled the app, and when my ban lifted, I was able to post without issues and I haven’t had the issue since.
Taking It Slow After The Ban Is Lifted
Someone online suggested that after a long ban, you should ease back into Instagram and engage VERY slowly to not trigger another action block. I documented my engagement for the first 10 days after my ban was lifted in case you might find it helpful.
Note: the suggestion I read online said that stories and DMs don’t count. I also don’t post on the weekends right now, which is why days 3, 4 and 10 don’t show a post.
Day 1: 1 post
Day 2: 1 post, 1 like (1 story, 1 DM)
Day 3: 1 like (3 DMs)
Day 4: 2 likes (1 DM)
Day 5: 1 post, 3 likes, 1 comment (1 story)
Day 6: 1 post, 4 likes, 2 comments
Day 7: 1 post, 5 likes, 3 comments, 1 follow
Day 8: 1 post, 6 likes, 4 comments
Day 9: 1 post, 7 likes, 5 comments
Day 10: 8 likes, 6 comments, 1 follow (2 stories, 4 DMs)
Phew! And that’s the whole story of my experience with the Instagram action block! Have you ever been banned by Instagram? What was your experience?
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That’s too much lol. I don’t use Instagram and haven’t for a few years. Just reading this post gave me stress. I am glad you figured it out but they took too much of your time.
Agreed! I’m glad I figured it out, but I wish I could have figured it out sooner with their help, rather than having to deduce it myself over two weeks. I enjoy using Instagram to connect with people, but it DEFINITELY has its cons.