Do you use Firefox with activated content blocking?
If you are using Firefox, open a new tab and type "about:preferences" in the address bar. Press Enter to confirm and type "content blocking" into the search box. If the "Content Blocking" option is set to "Strict", it will prevent you from connecting to Facebook. You can now either switch to "Standard" or use the "Manage Exceptions" button to add an exception for the SocialHub.
Does a different browser allow you to connect the channel?
Due to the numerous configuration options and add-ons, there are countless potential causes that may block the connection of a channel. If possible, please try a different browser. We recommend Chrome and Firefox, but Internet Explorer may also be used.
Don't worry: There is no need to switch to another browser permanently. Once the channel is connected, you can return to your default browser and use the SocialHub there.
Do you have administrator rights to the Facebook page?
You can only connect a Facebook page to the SocialHub if you are have administrator rights for the page. You can verify this in the Meta Business Suite. It should look like this:
If you do not have administrator rights, you will need to receive them from one of the existing administrators of the page. How to grant administrator rights to a person is explained in the Help section of Facebook: How do I manage roles for my Page?
Is another administrator of the Facebook page able to add the channel?
In some cases, a channel can be added if another Facebook user establishes the connection. To do this, the other Facebook user must of course also be the administrator of the Facebook page.
If the person does not have SocialHub access themselves, they must first log in to Facebook in a tab. You can then log in to SocialHub with your account in another tab and try to add the channel.
The Business Integration permissions might not be granted
It is possible that one or more Business Integration permissions are not granted. You can check the permissions in the settings of your personal Facebook profile:
By clicking "View and edit" on the SocialHub integration, all available permissions are listed. Make sure all of them are enabled and that the Facebook page you want to add to your SocialHub account is also listed.
If one or more permissions are not granted, you can grant them here and try to add the channel again.
Does the company IT restrict access to certain IPs?
Some companies restrict access to some IPs, sometimes including parts of Facebook. If this is the case, you can't grant access permissions when adding a channel and thus, the channel can't be connected.
Please talk to your colleagues in IT to see if this might be the case. Alternatively, you can also try adding the channel when you're connected to another network (e.g. at home). Once the channel is connected, you can use all functions of the SocialHub. However, it's a good idea to unlock any IP blocking regarding Facebook. After all, access permissions need to be renewed periodically.
Since Instagram belongs to Facebook, the same conditions apply. In addition, there is one specific thing that needs to be checked first. If the channel still can't be added after that, please have a look at the Facebook section above.
Is the Instagram account linked to a Facebook page?
To be able to connect an Instagram account to the SocialHub or any other tool, it must be linked to a Facebook page. You can do this either on your desktop computer or on your smartphone. Unfortunately, both options are not 100% reliable. If the channel cannot be added to the SocialHub after being linked via your desktop computer, unlink them and re-establish the connection via the Instagram app on your smartphone.
How do I link my Instagram account to my Facebook page via desktop computer?
Open the settings for the Facebook page you want to link to your Instagram account. You will find the option to link the two accounts in the "Instagram" section.
Clicking on "Log in" opens a form to log in to your Instagram account.
If your Instagram account does not yet have a company profile set up, you will now be prompted to enter business contact information. Note: Do not skip this step!
With several clicks on "Continue" you reach this form where you need to enter your business contact details:
This is what it should look like in the end:
Unfortunately, connecting the Instagram account to the Facebook page via desktop computer is not 100% reliable. If the channel still can't be added to the SocialHub, unlink them at the bottom of the same page and link them once again using the Instagram app on your smartphone.
Confirm that you really want to disconnect the connection.
How do I link my Instagram account to my Facebook page via smartphone?
The Instagram help section explains how to create the shortcut for Android and iPhone users:
How do I link my Instagram account to a Facebook Page that I manage?
Unfortunately, connecting the Instagram account to the Facebook page via smartphone is not 100% reliable. If the channel still can't be added to the SocialHub after the shortcut, unlink them and link them once again using the Instagram website on your desktop computer.
The Instagram help section also explains how to unlink the accounts:
How do I disconnect my Instagram account from another social network?
Was a Business Profile created for the Instagram account?
Open the settings of the Instagram app on your phone. You should find a section named "Business settings" in this area. If you see the option "Sign up for a Business Profile" instead, no bussiness profile has been set up yet. Tap this option now and follow the instructions.
Then relink the Instagram account to the Facebook page. See above for instructions on how to do this.
Are Facebook page and Instagram account linked to the same Business Manager?
Open the Business Manager and switch to the Business Settings area. Verify that the Facebook page is linked in the section "Pages". If not, please add it. Next, verify that the Instagram account is linked in the section "Instagram Accounts" and add it if it is missing.
Is the relationship between Instagram account and Facebook page visible in the Instagram app?
Open your profile in the Instagram app on your phone and tap "Edit Profile". Scroll down until you see the item "Profile Information" and verify that the name of your Facebook page is named to the right side of the option "Page". If it isn't tap the option "Page" and see if you can select it. Afterwards try to connect the channel once again.
Does the Instagram account name contain one or more emojis?
The Facebook API doesn't work exactly well when it comes to emojis in the channel's name. Remove all emojis from the name and try again. You can change the name by clicking "Edit Profile".
An error of the Facebook API affects your Instagram account
If you have come this far, you are affected by an error in the Facebook API unfortunately. Due to reports from our customers, we have submitted a bug report to Facebook and it was confirmed that there is a bug in Facebook that won't be fixed in the near future.
Until Facebook implements a fix for this issue in the long term, only one workaround helps: The affected Instagram account needs to be converted into a personal account and then back into a business account.
Attention: The Insights within the Instagram account will be permanently deleted when converting to a personal account.
An excerpt from the original message from Facebook:
"Yes, this is currently the state of things; you'll need to convert back to a personal account and then to a business account (losing insights along the way). I understand that this is painful and have shared feedback with our engineering team."
You can check whether you are affected by this error in the Instagram app. Open your profile and tap von "Edit Profile". Scroll down until you see the item "Profile Information" and verify that the name of your Facebook page is named to the right side of the option "Page".
Open your profile once again and then the menu. Now tap the settings option and scroll down until you see the item "Linked Accounts". Tap this option and then tap "Facebook". Verify that your Facebook page is visible and selected on this screen:
Check which one of these two cases applies:
- The page is not linked correctly and you cannot see or select it at this point. Read on right below this listing.
- The page is linked correctly, but you still can't add it to the SocialHub. If this is the case, we need some data from you. We can then pass this on to Facebook for further investigation as to why your Instagram channel cannot be added. Read more about this further down.
The page is not linked correctly and you cannot see or select it
Open up the app, open your profile and then the menu. Now tap the settings option and scroll down until you see the item " Business Settings ". Tap on "Switch Back to Personal Account" and confirm. Attention: The Insights within the Instagram account will be permanently deleted when converting to a personal account.
After a brief wait, the option "Sign up for a Business Profile" appears at the same location. Tap on this option and then select "Convert Existing Account". Next, select a category and enter your business contact details.
At this point, you will be prompted to connect to Facebook. Do not skip this step! Otherwise, your account will be caught in the same status as before.
Sign in to Facebook and select the page. Now you should be able to successfully add the Instagram channel to the SocialHub. If it still doesn't work, please follow the instructions in the next section.
The page is linked correctly, but you still can't add it to the SocialHub
Unfortunately, we can't do anything by ourselves anymore and need to forward this issue to Facebook. In our experience, this path always leads to the Instagram account having to be converted to a personal account as described in the previous section. However, we would like to offer this option to you and would be happy to submit a ticket to the Facebook support. Please be aware that this process takes much effort and can take several weeks. In the past, there was no way around the conversion of the account. You therefore need to decide whether you want to invest that much time.
If you decide to do so we need some data from you so we can request Facebook to investigate why your Instagram channel cannot be added:
1. The ID of your Facebook page
Open up the Business Manager of your Facebook page:
You should see an overview of your Facebook pages, including the ID of each page. Write it down and send it to us with the rest of the data.
If you can't see the Facebook page on this page, you need to add it in the business settings first. Click the button "Business Settings" in the top right corner and go to Accounts > Pages. Click Add > Add a Page and type the name of the Facebook page into the search box. You may have to confirm the process by entering a password. Return to the start page of your Business Manager. Now you should be able to see the ID.
2. The ID of your Instagram account
Open up the "Bussiness Settings" of the Facebook page, click on the menu item "Instagram Accounts" and then directly to the right of it click the linked Instagram account. A bit further to the right you will find the ID of the Instagram account. Write it down and send it to us with the rest of the data.
3. Screenshots of some settings in the Instagram app on your smartphone
Facebook needs a total of 4 screenshots from your Instagram app.
3.1: Open up your profile and tap "Edit Profile". Scroll down until you see the item "Profile Information" and take a screenshot.
3.2: Stay on this page, tap on "Contact Options" and take a screenshot of this page.
It is important that the heading "Business Information" and the contact details are visible.
3.3: Open up your profile again and then the menu. Now open the settings and scroll down until you see the item "Business Settings". Take a screenshot.
It is crucial that the heading "Business Settings" and the option "Switch Back to Personal Account" are displayed.
3.4: Now simply scroll down until you see the option "Linked Accounts". Tap it and then tap "Facebook". Take a screenshot.
Important: If the name of the Facebook page is not visible, ...
- ... tap "Share to" if you're using an iPhone. Then select the Facebook page you want to link to.
- ... select the Facebook page to connect to in the "Share to" section if you are using an Android smartphone.
The name of the Facebook page must be displayed in the screenshot.
4. An "access token" for your user
We'll find this one for you, but you need to help us. Try to add the channel to the SocialHub again right before you send us all of the information listed above. The attempt will of course fail again, but we will be able to retrieve the access token Facebook needs from our logs. Please write down the exact time and send it to us alongside the other data. Please don't sign out of Facebook afterwards as this will also discard the access token for us.
5. That's it
Once you've sent us all of the necessary details, we can send them to Facebook for further investigation. Of course, we will let you know as soon as we get any feedback from Facebook.
Do you have feedback / suggestions or do you experience difficulties using the information provided here?
Contact us at support@socialhub.io and we will try to help you as soon as possible.