Instagram blocked an action: what to do next

Why

Most people who automate Instagram run into this eventually. Instagram decides an account has been doing too much, too fast, and stops it from following, liking, or commenting for a while. It is usually temporary, and it is Instagram's way of saying slow down.

How you react matters more than the block itself. Retrying straight away, logging out and back in over and over, or switching to another tool to keep going all make it more likely that the next block lasts longer. A calm, boring recovery works best.

How to use it

How to recognize it

• Instagram shows a popup asking you to try again later, or a notice that it restricts certain activity to protect its community.
• The Growbot Log shows Instagram restricted follow actions on this account (or likes, comments, and so on) and says pending actions were rescheduled.
• The Log shows Error loading your account. You may be temporarily blocked by Instagram.
• You see many rate limit lines close together.

What Growbot already did

When Instagram restricts an action type, Growbot moves your pending actions of that type later by the time in Settings → Rate limits → Retry N hours after hard rate limit (1 hour by default). That stops the queue from pushing against the block, but for a real block one hour is often not enough.

What you should do

1. Pause. On the Actions Queue tab, switch Actions Enabled to Actions Paused. It stays paused until you switch it back, and it holds Run Now batches too.
2. Wait at least 24 to 48 hours. For account-level blocks, Growbot's own Log message recommends at least 48 hours. Do not test the block by following people by hand every hour.
3. Use Instagram normally in the meantime. Posting, replying to comments, and browsing are fine and help your account look like what it is: a person using Instagram.
4. Give Growbot a longer back-off. If this is your second block in a few weeks, raise Retry N hours after hard rate limit to 12 or 24 so Growbot waits longer next time.
5. Come back at about half your old volume. Click Select All Pending, then Redistribute Selected with a lower Actions per day, then switch back to Actions Enabled.
6. Build back up over one to two weeks, following How to use Growbot safely.

Work out what triggered it

Look at what changed in the day or two before the block. Common causes:

• a big jump in Actions per day
• a large Run Now batch instead of a scheduled one
• follows and unfollows both running at full volume on the same day
• applying filters or Get More Data to thousands of accounts at once
• a brand-new account doing more than a few dozen actions a day

Tips

• Instagram often restricts one action type at a time, for example follows but not likes. The Log names the type that was restricted.
• If follows fail with a message about a maximum, you may have reached Instagram's cap on how many accounts you can follow. Pending requests to private accounts count toward it, so unfollow or withdraw some to make room.
• Do not start a second automation tool during a block. Two tools on one account means more activity, not less.
• If you run several accounts, a block on one does not mean the others are affected. Still, avoid running all of them at their highest volume at the same time.