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Full Disclosure: I'm the developer of statimgram.com I believe Instagram will continue to keep growing, and I wanted to help advertisers and users to have more

by taytus 10y ago

Full Disclosure: I'm the developer of statimgram.com I believe Instagram will continue to keep growing, and I wanted to help advertisers and users to have more tools to engage and reach their followers. Now with statimgram, you can schedule and post from the browser not only regular posts, but also directly into IG stories. We are launching next week, and I'm opening the API to developers as well, if you want early access please message me.

slackoverflower 10y ago
Does this violate their terms of service? I've heard they do not want desktop uploading or any form of uploading media through the API. I can't seem to find an API reference for uploading on api.instagram.com
- aaronpk 10y ago
  Their terms of service also prohibit apps from using "gram" in the name.
  - taytus 10y ago
    This is correct for applications using IG's API. This is not the case for statimgram.
    - ceejayoz 10y ago
      Your bigger concern should probably be Facebook's trademark lawyers.
    - CaveTech 10y ago
      Using private API's while also infringing on their terms, basically guaranteeing that your service will be blocked the minute it has any type of traction.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
- taytus 10y ago
  We provide a full "end to end" posting service requiring no intervention from you after you have scheduled your posts (no push notifications to your phone and you having to open the Instagram app to post it for example. We don't use IG's API.
  - jimminy 10y ago
    IANAL But that is the issue, you as a developer and provider may not run afoul of the terms directly, but your users will. Section 10 in the Basic Terms forbids accessing Instagrams Private API's. And if that isn't being used and you are a user of Instagram are running afoul of Section 4 of those terms in soliciting, collecting, or using the login credentials of other users. As well as your naming being in conflict with Terms and trademarks. Unless you're offering the service, through a reminder system with push notifications, you or yoru customer is probably breaking the Terms somewhere. You should probably have a lawyer verify that you're not running straight into a legal mess.
    - elastic_church 10y ago
      I think the part that you are missing is that nobody cares about company Terms of Service. The consequences are nonexistent to negligible at best. If in this case Instagram kills someone's account because of this service, then Statimgram takes on the possible liability of damages if its worth it to the brand. Having an understanding of how people spin up accounts on Instagram and build mass real targeted followers quickly and cheaply, it wouldn't even be worth it to sue. But again, Statimgram's liability. Low risk proposition though.
      - ceejayoz 10y ago
        > The consequences are nonexistent to negligible at best. Not in all cases. I work for a company that has a Facebook app at its core, and while we'd love to use a service like this to post to Instagram, it'd risk Facebook shutting our main app's access to the Facebook API down.
      - GrinningFool 10y ago
mittermayr 10y ago
Word of caution: I've been running a business like yours for two years. We've had "the talk" with Facebook's lawyers. You say the use of the word 'gram' only applies to using their API? Wrong. You will see once you grow to more than a handful of accounts. We've resolved this. Also, your method will 100% get people blocked. You say it's secret sauce, but you don't seem to take into account that most people here are tech folk. There are only so many ways. I know, and I guarantee it, that you use Instagram's private API by imitating the Android app. This is tripple-wrong. You violate their community terms, you violate reverse-engineering terms and you don't communicate this to your customers. Anyone who asks for someone else's Instagram credentials automatically is in breach of their terms. So none of our businesses would even be possible. But there clearly is room for interpretation (and I've talked through this with their lawyers, too). But your approach is not where the flexibility is at the moment. Any social-media agency is asking their clients for credentials. They violate the terms, there is no ifs and buts. Still, this will be fine. Instagram isn't entirely robotic. But you've got to approach it from the right side of things. Use the official unmodified app, use a real phone. That's the minimum. We've been running a business on those (tough) minimum requirements, and service some of the largest brands in the world. They are aware of the risk that anything can happen to their accounts at any time. But our adherence to the crucial parts helps us stay above board.
- taytus 10y ago
  I appreciate the words of caution. I really do. Your service also asks for IG credentials, so I wonder how is that different than what we do.
  - mittermayr 10y ago
    Read again, it's not about the credentials as agencies do exactly the same. It's about the posting mechanism. And the 'gram'. I feel you, this is a tough place to be, there's a lot of money waiting, everyone needs a solution – but talking to the private API is not the way to go about it.

by taytus 10y ago

slackoverflower 10y ago

Does this violate their terms of service? I've heard they do not want desktop uploading or any form of uploading media through the API. I can't seem to find an API reference for uploading on api.instagram.com

aaronpk 10y ago
Their terms of service also prohibit apps from using "gram" in the name.
- taytus 10y ago
  This is correct for applications using IG's API. This is not the case for statimgram.
  - ceejayoz 10y ago
    Your bigger concern should probably be Facebook's trademark lawyers.
  - CaveTech 10y ago
    Using private API's while also infringing on their terms, basically guaranteeing that your service will be blocked the minute it has any type of traction.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
taytus 10y ago
We provide a full "end to end" posting service requiring no intervention from you after you have scheduled your posts (no push notifications to your phone and you having to open the Instagram app to post it for example. We don't use IG's API.
- jimminy 10y ago
  IANAL But that is the issue, you as a developer and provider may not run afoul of the terms directly, but your users will. Section 10 in the Basic Terms forbids accessing Instagrams Private API's. And if that isn't being used and you are a user of Instagram are running afoul of Section 4 of those terms in soliciting, collecting, or using the login credentials of other users. As well as your naming being in conflict with Terms and trademarks. Unless you're offering the service, through a reminder system with push notifications, you or yoru customer is probably breaking the Terms somewhere. You should probably have a lawyer verify that you're not running straight into a legal mess.
  - elastic_church 10y ago
    I think the part that you are missing is that nobody cares about company Terms of Service. The consequences are nonexistent to negligible at best. If in this case Instagram kills someone's account because of this service, then Statimgram takes on the possible liability of damages if its worth it to the brand. Having an understanding of how people spin up accounts on Instagram and build mass real targeted followers quickly and cheaply, it wouldn't even be worth it to sue. But again, Statimgram's liability. Low risk proposition though.
    - ceejayoz 10y ago
      > The consequences are nonexistent to negligible at best. Not in all cases. I work for a company that has a Facebook app at its core, and while we'd love to use a service like this to post to Instagram, it'd risk Facebook shutting our main app's access to the Facebook API down.
    - GrinningFool 10y ago

mittermayr 10y ago

Word of caution: I've been running a business like yours for two years. We've had "the talk" with Facebook's lawyers. You say the use of the word 'gram' only applies to using their API? Wrong. You will see once you grow to more than a handful of accounts. We've resolved this. Also, your method will 100% get people blocked. You say it's secret sauce, but you don't seem to take into account that most people here are tech folk. There are only so many ways. I know, and I guarantee it, that you use Instagram's private API by imitating the Android app. This is tripple-wrong. You violate their community terms, you violate reverse-engineering terms and you don't communicate this to your customers. Anyone who asks for someone else's Instagram credentials automatically is in breach of their terms. So none of our businesses would even be possible. But there clearly is room for interpretation (and I've talked through this with their lawyers, too). But your approach is not where the flexibility is at the moment. Any social-media agency is asking their clients for credentials. They violate the terms, there is no ifs and buts. Still, this will be fine. Instagram isn't entirely robotic. But you've got to approach it from the right side of things. Use the official unmodified app, use a real phone. That's the minimum. We've been running a business on those (tough) minimum requirements, and service some of the largest brands in the world. They are aware of the risk that anything can happen to their accounts at any time. But our adherence to the crucial parts helps us stay above board.

taytus 10y ago
I appreciate the words of caution. I really do. Your service also asks for IG credentials, so I wonder how is that different than what we do.
- mittermayr 10y ago
  Read again, it's not about the credentials as agencies do exactly the same. It's about the posting mechanism. And the 'gram'. I feel you, this is a tough place to be, there's a lot of money waiting, everyone needs a solution – but talking to the private API is not the way to go about it.