What actions can be blocked by Instagram?
Your Instagram goes crazy and for some reason blocks your account? You get the message “Action blocked”? Here you can check the possible reasons for being banned and how to react if that situation accurs.
If you are lucky and the problem of being blocked does not concern you right now, find out what to watch out for in order not to expose yourself to Facebook – the owner of Instagram. Check what functions of Instagram can be banned.
Likes blocked
Do you abuse the like button and like a lot of photos? Beware! If you often exceed the hourly limit of likes (60/h), you may get temporarily blocked from the likes function. Depending on the frequency of breaking the hourly limit of likes, the exclusion time you receive for violating Instagram’s guidelines may vary. The first block is usually symbolic and is removed after an hour or a few hours at the most. Repeated exceeding the hour limit for likes may result in a long-term block of an account (up to several weeks) or even permanent one with a reduction in the hour limit of likes.
Comments blocked
As in the case of likes, comments also have an hourly limit (20 / h). Exceeding the hourly limit may result in imposing a blockade and blocking the commenting function for an hour or longer – depending on the frequency of breaching the hourly limit for comments. Additionally, as it comes to comments, Instagram may block a frequently used form of a comment, so it is crucial that same commnets are not always being made.
Keywords from comments blocked
Blocking keywords in comments depend on the preferences of the user whose post we comment on. Each user has the ability to define keywords he finds undesirable for his profile. If we use a word forbidden by the user, our post will be hidden from a wider audience. Only the owner of the profile and the author of the comment will have access to such a comment.
Publication of posts blocked
As Instagram records the publication date of each post, it might impose block on you.
If you keep publishing posts in too short intervals. The blockade may last from just an hour to even several days. Additionally, each time a block is imposed, more and more restrictive limits on the time interval between published posts are introduced.
Hashtag blocked
You’ve came across a hashtag with the latest photos not available and the message saying
“Recent #hashtag posts are currently hidden because the community has reported content that may not be compliant with Instagram’s community policies.”? If you noticed such a hashtag, know that it has been permanently banned by Instagram due to inappropriate content published under its name. Selecting hashtags is importante, as banned hashtags bring negative affect on the posts engagement.
Location blocked
Such as in the case of hashtags, Instagram can ban locations where inappropriate photos and/or videos appear. If the location is blocked, Instagram will stop showing the latest photos and place an appropriate message saying that the location has been blocked. That once again affects the reach of the post and its engagement negatively.
User marking blocked
When too many tags are registered on your profile, Instagram can activate tag lock.
If you don’t want your profile to be tagged in other people’s photos, you can also activate such a block by yourself in your profile settings.
Observation blocked
“Follow” actions also have an hourly limit (40/h). Same as for likes and comments, exceeding the hourly limit, may result in a temporary block. The lock is usually imposed from 1 hour to several hours. However, repeatedly exceeding the limit may lead to a long-term blockade and a subsequent limitation of the hourly limit.
Phone number blocked
Instagram can permanently block your phone number when it detects association with too many profiles. If you register a new account several times in a row, using the same phone number, it might turn out that in order to complete the registration you need to use a different one. Once your phone number is blocked, you can’t create a new Instagram account using it.
E-mail address blocked
As for the phone number, Instagram can block e-mail addresses or even entire domains, if it detects too many registrations from a specific e-mail or domain. Email providers are the only exception from this rule. That means if Instagram blocks your email address, you have no other choice but to change it.
URL in BIO blocked
Instagram has a whole list of websites (URLs) forbidden to be posted on your profile. If the URL in your bio is spammy or the website spreads viruses, phishes and promotes nudity, Instagram may block the option to place such a website in your profile. Instagram is constantly expanding the list of websites that cannot be used.
Username blocked
If you regularly violate the Instagram regulations, your username might be blocked. Blocked username means a permanent ban, disabling the profile and hiding the content of it from a wider audience. When your username is blocked, the best thing to do is to start your adventure with Instagram from scratch – the chances of recovering a lost account are very slim.
What’s more, Instagram also automatically blocks certain phrases that cannot be used in usernames, for example first-order domain endings – .com, .net, .biz, .info, etc. Regional domains, e.g. .pl can usually be used in the profile name.
User IP address blocked
IP address block might be imposed if Instagram detects too many actions performed from a specific IP. The action limit for the IP address is 5000 actions per day. If the daily limit is exceeded, Instagram may hide actions performed from this IP. Such actions will be still visible to the author, but will be hidden from the wider audience.
