How to connect your Instagram account to iLS

You connect Instagram to iLS once, on the IG Account page: enter your own username and password, pick the country you usually use Instagram from, and type in the verification code if Instagram sends one. The password is used to sign in and is never stored; what iLS keeps is the logged-in session, encrypted.

This guide covers each field on that page, the code step, what every error message means and what to do about it, and how to disconnect. It assumes you already have an iLS account; if not, how to set up iLS starts from the beginning.

What happens when you connect?

iLS opens an automated browser and signs in to Instagram as you, the same way you would on a computer. Once you're in, it saves the logged-in session so it doesn't need your password again.

• Your password is never saved. It's sent once to that browser to sign you in and is never written to disk or shown back to you.
• The session is encrypted. It's stored encrypted and never shown back to you either.
• It's used for one thing. iLS uses the session to read the activity status Instagram shows on a conversation. It never posts, messages, follows or changes your settings.

One honest side effect: reading a status opens the conversation, which can mark that person's messages to you as read.

You're typing these details into iLS, not into Instagram. iLS is an independent product and isn't affiliated with Instagram or Meta.

How do you fill in the form?

Open IG Account in the sidebar. The status at the top says Not connected.

1. Your Instagram username. The account you'll read from, usually your everyday one.
2. Your Instagram password. Your Instagram password, not the password you made for iLS.
3. Where you usually use Instagram. Pick the country your account normally signs in from, not where you are right now. iLS connects from a connection in that country so the sign-in looks like your normal activity. If you're travelling this week but live in Germany, pick Germany. To change it later you'll need to disconnect and connect again.
4. Press Connect account.

The page switches to Signing you in… and the status to Signing in. It can take up to a minute. Keep the page open, because Instagram may ask for a code.

What if Instagram asks for a code?

Instagram often asks for a verification code when an account signs in from a new place. When it does, the status changes to Verification and the page shows Enter your verification code.

1. Find the code Instagram sent to your email or phone.
2. Type it into Verification code.
3. Press Verify and continue.

If the code doesn't arrive by email, check spam, then consider turning on two-factor authentication in your Instagram settings. With two-factor on, Instagram sends the code by WhatsApp or SMS instead, which the connect page itself recommends as the more reliable route. Instagram's two-factor authentication guide shows how to turn it on.

The code has a time limit. If you don't enter it in time, the attempt ends and you start again with Connect account.

What do the errors mean?

Each message tells you whether the problem is your details, Instagram, or timing:

• "Instagram didn't accept that username or password." Your details were wrong. Check for a typo, and make sure you used your Instagram password, not your iLS one.
• "Instagram wouldn't accept the sign-in from our network just now." Instagram turned the sign-in away, not your password. Your password is most likely fine. Wait a few minutes and try again.
• "We couldn't confirm the login." Instagram probably showed an extra step, such as an authenticator app prompt or a security check. Approve anything waiting in your Instagram app, then try again.
• "That code didn't work." Check the code and type it again.
• "Instagram rejected the verification code." Start over with Connect account and use the new code Instagram sends.
• "The verification code wasn't entered in time." Connect again and enter the code sooner.
• "Instagram accepted your sign-in, but its messages page didn't finish loading in time." Nothing you entered was wrong. Try connecting again.

How do you know it worked?

The status reads Session active and the page says Connected as @yourusername. You'll stay connected across visits; you don't sign in again each time you open the dashboard.

From here, go to the Tracker to add someone. Before you do, check that both of you have activity status turned on, or the reading will come back empty.

How do you disconnect?

Press Disconnect on the IG Account page. A dialog lists every contact whose checks will stop, then Disconnect account confirms it.

• The stored Instagram session is deleted.
• Checks stop for all your contacts until you connect again.
• Your contacts stay on your Tracker list, and their past readings stay in your Report.

What can't the connect step do?

• It can't keep you signed in forever. Instagram can stop accepting a saved session. When it does, the Tracker shows Tracking paused and offers Reconnect account, which takes you back through this page.
• It can't remove the risk to your account. Using iLS breaks Instagram's Terms of Use, and Instagram can restrict an account that does. Picking the right country helps the sign-in look normal; it doesn't make the risk go away.
• It can't sign in to someone else's account. You connect your own account only. iLS never needs the other person's password.