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Troubleshooting: Common issues with Instagram
Troubleshooting: Common issues with Instagram

This article describes how to troubleshoot the most common issues with accessing and managing your Instagram account through Cerby.

Cerby Team avatar
Written by Cerby Team
Updated over a year ago

This article helps you fix the most common issues with accessing and managing your Instagram account through Cerby.

The following are the most common issues:

The following sections describe common scenarios that can cause confusion and, if applicable, a proposed solution.

Suspicious login attempt

When you log in automatically to an Instagram account from Cerby using a new device (computer or mobile phone) from a new location, Instagram displays the Suspicious Login Attempt dialog box or screen asking you to verify your identity, as shown in Figure 1.

Suspicious Login Attempt Dialog Box or Screen

Figure 1. Suspicious Login Attempt Dialog Box or Screen

NOTE: This behavior occurs whether you have two-factor authentication (2FA) turned on or not. Also, it may happen when Cerby performs automated tasks, such as turning on 2FA and rotating passwords.

In the dialog box or screen, Instagram asks you to verify your identity by sending a six-digit security code to the email address registered in the account.

Solution

To solve the login attempt prompt, click the Send Security Code button from the Suspicious Login Attempt dialog box or screen. You will receive a security code in the registered email address.

To retrieve the security code when you have a Cerby-managed email address, you must forward the email because the message in the Shared Inbox does not display the code. Follow the instructions in the How to forward a message from your Cerby inbox article, and then open your email to copy the code.

To prevent the Suspicious Login Attempt dialog box or screen from being displayed in the future, Cerby recommends you turn on 2FA with Cerby as an authenticator app and disable the login requests settings on Instagram. Complete the following steps:

  1. Turn on 2FA manually. Follow the instructions in the How to turn on 2FA in Instagram manually video.

    NOTE: If you have already turned on 2FA with Cerby as an authenticator app, continue to step 2.

  2. Tap the Profile button with your picture or avatar that is located at the right in the bottom navigation drawer of the Instagram mobile app. The Edit profile screen is displayed.

  3. Tap the Menu icon located in the top right of the screen. A drop-down list is displayed.

  4. Tap the Settings button from the drop-down list. The Settings screen is displayed.

  5. Tap the Security button. The Security screen is displayed.

  6. Tap the Two-factor authentication button located in the Login security section. The Two-Factor Authentication screen is displayed with the Two-factor authentication is on section.

  7. Tap the Additional methods button from the How you get login codes section. The Additional methods screen is displayed.

  8. Deactivate the switch of the Login requests option.

Unable to access settings when turning on 2FA

When you attempt to turn on 2FA manually or automatically from Cerby using a new device (mobile phone or computer), Instagram may display the You can’t access certain settings for a few days dialog box, as shown in Figure 2.

You can’t access certain settings for a few days Dialog Box

Figure 2. You can’t access certain settings for a few days Dialog Box

This behavior happens because Instagram verifies and keeps track of the devices you normally use. Therefore, if the attempt to turn on 2FA comes from a new device, Instagram will not let you change any security settings for one or two days.

Solution

To solve the 2FA enrollment attempt prompt, you have two options:

  • Try again to turn on 2FA in a day or two.

  • Use a device with an active session to turn on 2FA manually by performing the following actions:

    1. Identify the device with an active session by following the instructions in the View your account’s recent login activity official documentation from Instagram. The device must have an Active now status, as shown in Figure 3.

      Figure 3. Instagram Login Activity Dialog Box or Screen

    2. Use the device with the active session to turn on 2FA manually. Follow the instructions in the How to turn on 2FA in Instagram manually video.

Manual 2FA enrollment

Instagram is one of the apps supported by Cerby with an automation workflow to turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) by simply activating a switch in the Settings tab of your account. Through this automation, the Cerby mobile app is configured as an authenticator app.

To execute the workflow successfully, you must have created and configured a Cerby-managed email address in your Instagram account to receive verification codes. If your business needs prevent you from using a Cerby-managed email address, you can enroll 2FA manually.

You can only go through this manual configuration with your Instagram mobile app to retrieve the secret key you need to configure Cerby as an authenticator app. To enroll 2FA manually, follow the instructions in the How to turn on 2FA in Instagram manually video.

IMPORTANT: Make sure to securely save the recovery or backup codes in Cerby after turning on 2FA to help you get back into your account if, for any reason, you lose access. To save the codes, you must complete the following steps:

  1. Copy the recovery codes from Instagram. Follow the instructions in the How you can use a recovery code on Instagram official documentation.

  2. Click the Settings icon of the corresponding Instagram account card in the Cerby web app. The Settings tab is displayed in the account details page.

  3. Click the Add Codes button located in the Emergency Controls section. The Add 2FA Backup Codes dialog box is displayed.

  4. Paste the recovery codes in the 2FA Backup Codes field.

  5. Click the Save Codes button. The dialog box closes and a success message box is displayed.

After turning on 2FA and configuring Cerby as an authenticator app, your logging-in experience improves. Verification codes are automatically distributed to all account members and auto-filled when they log into Instagram from Cerby as follows:

  • When logging in through the Cerby web app, the verification code is entered automatically as part of the workflow.

  • When logging in through the Instagram mobile app, the verification code is copied to the clipboard by using the autofill feature. For more information, see the Cerby mobile app behavior section.

You can turn off 2FA through your web browser on a computer or the Instagram mobile app.

Cerby mobile app behavior

The Cerby mobile app helps you easily log in to your apps by auto-filling the credentials of the Instagram account you added to Cerby. Just open the login screen of the Instagram app on your mobile phone and use autofill on every input field according to your operating system (iOS or Android).

NOTE: For more information on how to enable autofill in your mobile phone, see the Install the Cerby Mobile App section in the Getting Started Guide for Account Owners and Collaborators article or the How to install and set up the Cerby mobile application video.

When 2FA is on, you may have to enter a verification code in an additional screen after auto-filling your credentials. Perform the following actions to retrieve the code according to your verification method:

  • Cerby app as an authenticator app: The verification code is automatically copied to the clipboard when autofill is enabled on your mobile phone. Tap the Paste button to fill in the verification code field.

    NOTE: If autofill is not enabled or the code is not automatically copied to the clipboard, copy the verification code from the 2FA Code section. This section is located in the account details using the Cerby mobile app.

  • Cerby-managed email address: The verification code is sent to the Shared Inbox, and you can retrieve it through the Cerby web app. For more information on the Shared Inbox, see the corresponding section in the Getting Started Guide for Admins article.

NOTE: For more information on the logging-in process, see the How do I log in to my apps using the Cerby mobile app? section of the Getting Started Guide for Account Owners and Collaborators article or the How to login to your Cerby managed accounts on mobile video.

Cerby-managed phone number support

Cerby provides and manages securely generated phone numbers you can use for your Instagram account and across your organization.

By managing this service, Cerby can improve the logging-in process for Instagram by automatically filling your verification codes when 2FA is turned on with the phone number as a verification method. These codes are retrieved from your Shared Inbox in Cerby.

To use a Cerby-managed phone number, you must request it. Contact your account manager or send an email to support@cerby.com.

IMPORTANT: You can’t configure a Cerby-managed phone number when signing up for an Instagram account. When you have it, make sure to configure it in Instagram after validating your account.

Email swap

When you automatically swap the email address of your Instagram account for a Cerby-managed email address, make sure to verify it by clicking the link in the confirmation email you receive from Instagram.

This email is sent to your Shared Inbox in Cerby, and to be able to click the link, you must forward the message. Follow the instructions in the How to forward a message from your Cerby inbox article, and then open your email to confirm your email address for Instagram.

After confirming the email, you will be able to log in to your Instagram account automatically from Cerby.

Invalid 2FA verification code

Occasionally, when you log in automatically to your Instagram account from Cerby and have 2FA on, Instagram shows an error indicating that the verification code is incorrect, even when it is correct.

Solution

If you encounter this error, Cerby recommends you enter the verification code manually. Depending on the verification method you have configured in Cerby, retrieve the code from the Cerby extension, the Cerby mobile app, or the Shared Inbox in the Cerby web app.

If you still encounter the error, use one of the recovery or backup codes you saved previously in Cerby. To retrieve a code, you must complete the following steps:

  1. Click the Settings icon of the corresponding Instagram account card in the Cerby web app. The Settings tab is displayed on the account details page.

  2. Click the View Codes button located in the Emergency Controls section. The Confirm your identity to continue dialog box is displayed.

  3. Click the It’s me! button in the Confirmation Request screen of the Cerby mobile app to confirm your identity. The dialog box in the Cerby web app closes, and the View 2FA Backup Codes dialog box is displayed with the codes.

IMPORTANT: Remember that you can only use a recovery or backup code once. If you need to generate a new set of codes, follow the corresponding instructions in the How you can use a recovery code on Instagram official documentation, and save the new codes in Cerby, as described in the Manual 2FA enrollment section.

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