Does Instagram Graph API has sandbox mode?

7
votes

The docs say (step 4):

In the App Review for Instagram section, click Add to Submission for each permission your App will need from its Users. instagram_basic is required. instagram_manage_comments, instagram_manage_insights, and instagram_content_publish are optional.

Scroll to the bottom of the page, and in the Current Submission sub-section, for each submission, click its View Notes link.

In the View Notes dialogue for each permission submission, provide a description for how you will use the data returned by any endpoints that require the permission, and a screencast showing how your app will use the data.

Once you've completed your notes for all of your permission submissions, click the Submit For Review button at the bottom of the page. Note that this is separate from your App Review, which you will do after testing.

After you've added both Facebook Login and Instagram API products to your app configuration, add Facebook Login to your app and record a screencast showing how you will use data returned by the Instagram API. This is similar to the Facebook Login screencast but with Instagram data, so the same guidelines apply.

Step 5:

Once you've been notified that your Instagram API product submission has been approved, you can use the Graph API Explorer to test your app.

With Facebook Login I can create an app that works in sandbox mode. Which lets me create a screencast. To be able to use Instagram Graph API (on a site) I need (from what I can gather):

  • Facebook Page linked to Instagram Business Account
  • an app icon
  • a privacy policy page
  • a site with working Facebook Login
  • description of how each permission is going to be used
  • screencast of... what exactly? of a site that is basically ready, but instead of fetching data from Instagram, it has them hardcoded in the code?

Or there is a sandbox mode after all?

UPD I've highlighted the important parts in the quotes above. Then:

5. Test Your App

Once you've been notified that your Instagram API product submission has been approved, you can use the Graph API Explorer to test your app.

Go to the Graph API Explorer...

The first call you will make is to the Graph API's /user/accounts edge...

Locate the Page that you connected to the Instagram Business Account and click its ID...

Next, [make /page?fields=instagram_business_account request].

This is where I get empty response in Graph API Explorer (only id field is returned), or:

200:- OAuthException:(#200) Access to this data is temporarily disabled for non-active apps or apps that have not recently accessed this data due to changes we are making to the Facebook Platform. https://developers.facebook.com/status/issues/205942813488872/

GET /...?fields=instagram_business_account HTTP/1.1

on my site. Which requests to Instagram Graph API can I make before passing reviews (Instagram App Review, and Facebook App Review)?

4
instagram-api
before your app approval, you are always in sandbox mode. – Wils
@Wils Sure, but I can start using Facebook Graph API before approval (Facebook App Review). With Instagram Graph API that's not the case. It fails at getting Instagram Business Account ID. That's no sandbox mode. That's no-access mode, I'd say. What requests can I make to Instagram Graph API before passing both reviews? Am I missing something? – x-yuri
@x-yuri I have the exact same experience. I suspect that it used to work for developers of the app in sandbox mode until very recent when Facebook put a pause on app review. One thing I did notice (not sure qualifies for a workaround) is that you can use the Facebook Graph API Explorer app (instead of your own app) to playaround the new API, because apparently Facebook didn't disable access for their own apps. Maybe you can use their app to build out a demo for App Review purpose. – Tian Chu
@TianChu Are you sure one can use [Graph API] Explorer to make Instagram [Graph] API requests? Could it be that your app has passed the first of the two reviews (Instagram API product review), and that's why you can use Instagram API via Explorer? I fail to get instagram_business_account via Explorer, and believe that makes me unable to make any Instagram API requests, particularly via Explorer. Now that I think about it, it may be a temporary measure from Facebook taken after Cambridge Analytics data privacy scandal, and hopefully it'll be lifted in a while. – x-yuri
@TianChu I have the same problem. I can't make requests unless I use the Facebook Graph API Explorer app. Have you found a workaround or a way to make it work in your code? – Joel

4 Answers

2
votes

It looks like the documentation that Facebook provides is somewhat misleading. You can actually use Instagram Graph API via Graph API Explorer (or by sending GET requests from your code) in a very limited way accessing only your instagram business account BEFORE you get initial approval described in Step 4.

Steps:

  1. Open Graph API Explorer.
  2. First, you need to add extra permissions in the "Access Token" section. There is a "Add a Permission" drop down on the bottom of that section. Open that drop down and select: instagram_basic, manage_pages, business_management permissions. Depending on what you are trying to do, you may need other permissions as well (e.g. instagram_manage_comments, ads_management, manage_pages).
  3. Once you selected the extra permissions, click on the "Get Access Token" button.
  4. Now, you have access token with correct permissions and you should be able to execute instagram_business_account request. This will return the instagram id of your business account, which you can then use for other requests.

After going through these steps, I'm able to get media for my business account via Instagram Graph API, although I'm still trying to figure out why tags request returns empty list.

0
votes

Go to your app dashboard from your developer account: https://developers.facebook.com/apps/APP_ID/dashboad

Go to: Roles -> Test Users.
Edit one of the test users to change its password to what you want in order to know him.

Once done, logout from your personal account and connect with the "test user" account in https://facebook.com

Go to your app and click the facebook login with the scope "instagram_basic".

With the access_token that you get you are able to ask Graph API about the user's instagram business account.

Et voilà.

PS: You will not be able to use the Open Graph API tool from your test user. My advice is to test your app from Incognito mode so it will not interpose with your personal account.

UPDATE
Currently, access the instagram data from this way is disabled but this is the right way to access the data.

FB error message says:
(#200) Access to this data is temporarily disabled for non-active apps or apps that have not recently accessed this data due to changes we are making to the Facebook Platform. https://developers.facebook.com/status/issues/205942813488872/

-2
votes

You can get full functionality of Graph API if you login with the developer account, use that to create a video screencast of app functionality and submit

-2
votes

You will have to create a test application out of your real application, these applications are in sand box mode by default (developer mode) https://developers.facebook.com/docs/apps/test-apps/ You will be able to access any fb permission / feature with it, and develop a product with it. Once you are ready to review, in your submission of your real application link your test app in the process