Is your account compromised, or have you been inadvertently locked out of Instagram? You’ve come to the right place, and this article is a must-read. Here you will learn about the causes and solutions to the “Your Account Has Been Temporarily Locked” error on Instagram. Continue reading to learn more about how to unlock your Instagram profile if you’ve been locked out.
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What is “Your Account Has Been Temporarily Locked” Error?:
It is possible that you have received an error message from Instagram that read “Your Account Has Been Temporarily Locked” with a warning that reads “We’ve detected suspicious activity on your Instagram account and have temporarily locked it as a security precaution”. As a result of this error, your account has been temporarily locked by Instagram in order to keep it safe.
Getting the “Your account has been temporarily locked” error message and being unable to log in? Here’s how to fix it and get back into your account. Let’s take a look at them.
But before you can fix the problem, you need to understand what went wrong and why your account was locked in the first place.
Why your Instagram account gets temporarily locked?
It’s possible that Instagram will lock your account for a variety of reasons. It’s done primarily to keep user accounts safe from fraud and to keep the platform secure. In addition, this suspension is designed to enhance the user’s experience.
If Instagram determines that you have broken one or more of their user policies or guidelines, they will place a temporary lock on your account. To help you, we’ve compiled a list of the kinds of activity that Instagram considers suspicious and could result in your account being suspended. Account locks can be imposed on Instagram users for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:
Bot-like activity
A 24-hour period is a long time for Instagram to keep track of all of the actions that are taking place at any given time. To prevent “bot activity,” Instagram will temporarily lock your account if any of the underlying actions are performed at an unusually rapid pace:
- Liking and/or unliking way too many pictures in just no time.
- Making so many similar comments quite frequently.
- Following and/or unfollowing far too many accounts in a short period of time.
- Sending direct messages to many accounts at a time or commenting on posts.
By avoiding these activities you can somehow limit the probability of your account being temporarily locked.
Other than the Bot-Like Activity, your Instagram account can be temporarily locked either for the reason that you’re using an unauthorized third-party app or you have fallen prey to phishing.
Use of third-party apps
According to Instagram’s Terms of Use, the platform prohibits the use of a number of third-party applications on Instagram, and even for the recommended ones there is a prescribed approval process.
The use of any third-party app to automate actions like following or unfollowing, liking or commenting is prohibited at all times by this policy. Instagram is able to easily identify these kinds of activities and may close your account. Because Insta does not support the use of Bots because they complicate the user experience, any suspicious account will be shut down immediately.
To stop your Instagram account from getting locked, you must get rid of the installed third-party apps. If you want to remove them from Instagram, follow the following instructions: Security settings > Apps and websites > Active > Remove third-party apps..
Compromised account credentials
Alternatively, your account may have been compromised if you entered your Instagram credentials on a fraudulent website.
A deceptive website can easily steal your log-in details, so if you entered your Instagram credentials into a login screen that looks like Instagram’s, you may have accidentally given away your credentials to hackers.
When your Instagram account is breached, a red flag is raised, and the platform typically locks your account as a result.
Now that you know why your account has been locked, let’s figure out how to fix it and regain access to it.
How to Fix “Your Account Has Been Temporarily Locked” on Instagram
Logging into Instagram and seeing the message “Your Account Has Been Temporarily Locked” appear on the screen. You must submit the “My Instagram account has been deactivated” form in order to get your account back.
You’ll then be asked for proof of your identity after it’s done. After that, you’ll have to wait 1 to 3 business days for Instagram to take any necessary action. Step-by-step instructions on how to unlock your account are provided below for your convenience
- Open My Instagram account has been deactivated form. This can be done by clicking on the link “My Instagram account has been deactivated” or entering text string “My Instagram account has been deactivated” in Google Search Bar, and even by choosing the Facebook search results.
- Once you landed on the form, make all the necessary entries including your full name, email address (one linked to your locked Instagram account), your Instagram username and registered phone number.
- Then after explain that your account was locked mistakenly by and you have done nothing that go against or violate any of the policies or guidelines.
- Once you have finished with filling up of the form, review it and then submit the form to Instagram.
- In the end you will get an email from Instagram which contains code and this email asks for the validation of your identity. You are required to send a photo of yours holding up a piece of paper with the same code to be handwritten on it. (The photo should be natural – no photoshop editing with your face must be visible alongside the paper in hand. There is all possibility of your request be turned down if Instagram get any impression of photo being fake or edited)
- Once you have replied to Instagram’s email by sending them the required photo, you can expect the Instagram to respond in 1 to 3 business days (which is a usual waiting period for this process).
- If your request to reactivate the locked account is accepted, you will then receive a follow-up email from Instagram stating that your account been unlocked. If you won’t get any response even after a long time, try your luck again by replying to their email with a photo of yourself holding the code again. However, you must remember that if you keep on sending it time after time, your email may get marked as spam.
How long will temporarily locked out of Instagram last?
Even if your Instagram account has been temporarily locked, you still have the option of reclaiming your account. Note that if you don’t request that your account be unlocked, the lock on Instagram will remain in effect indefinitely.
If you’re locked out of Instagram for any of the reasons listed in the article, the only way to reactivate your account is to submit the request for an unlocked account successfully, as discussed above.