How to Troubleshoot and Fix "We‘ve Detected Automated Behavior on Your Instagram Account"

As a fellow tech geek and Instagram power user, I know how frustrating and confusing it can be to get the "we‘ve detected automated behavior on your account" warning. You just want to use Instagram as intended, not get flagged for breaking rules!

The good news is, with the right approach, you can easily get this issue sorted out and avoid further automated behavior warnings. In this detailed guide, I‘ll explain exactly why this happens, how to thoroughly remove any connected apps, and tips to keep your account in good standing.

Why Instagram Detects "Automated Behavior" on Accounts

Instagram is constantly scanning for spam, bots, and other inauthentic activity that goes against their terms of service. Their automated systems look for signs of:

Automated liking or following/unfollowing of other accounts
Services promising inflated followers or engagement
Bots, scripts, or aggregates that automate posting and interactions
Third-party apps accessing data or generating fake activity

Essentially anything that artificially inflates activity is prohibited. Instagram wants real, organic engagement on their platform.

Their detection systems analyze account behavior patterns to identify potential terms of service violations. But these systems aren‘t perfect. False positives happen regularly, flagging innocent accounts that have done nothing wrong.

You may have never even knowingly connected a third-party app. Instagram‘s algorithms can just be overzealous in quantifying "suspicious behavior."

How Third-Party Apps Trigger "Automated Behavior" Warnings

The most common trigger is logging into your Instagram account through unauthorized apps and websites.

For example, say you connect your Instagram account to a shady service promising to get you thousands of followers. Or you grant access to a meme aggregator website just for fun.

Instagram sees these apps generating activity or accessing data, which raises red flags. Their systems can‘t tell if the behavior is legit or not. So you get slapped with an "automated behavior detected" warning.

Some specific examples of problematic third-party apps:

Auto-likers: These apps automatically like posts, hashtags, or follower feeds on your behalf.
Follow/Unfollowers: Services that auto-follow then unfollow accounts to boost followers.
Inflated engagement apps: Any app promising fake likes or comments.
Aggregators: Sites that collect memes or repost content from multiple accounts.
Data analytics services: Even innocent analytics apps like tracking your followers or top posts can trigger warnings if they use unofficial APIs.

Basically, any app that accesses your account in an intrusive way can cause issues down the road.

Step-by-Step Guide to Revoking App Access

If you‘ve intentionally or accidentally given account access to any third-party apps, you need to remove them immediately:

Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture.
Access the menu and tap "Settings".
Select "Security" then "Apps and Websites".
Tap "Active" to view any authorized apps.
Tap each app and select "Remove" to revoke access.

This disconnects any suspicious services from your Instagram account. Without access, they can‘t generate automated activity triggering warnings.

If you don‘t see any active apps listed, it‘s likely a false positive. Keep reading for other solutions.

What to Do If You Haven‘t Used Third-Party Apps

Like I mentioned earlier, it‘s common to get the automated behavior warning even if you haven‘t used any unauthorized third-party apps. Instagram‘s systems misidentify normal human activity all the time.

If you don‘t have any connected apps to remove, here are a couple options:

Wait it out: The warning should disappear on its own after a few days as long as you stick to normal Instagram app usage.
Log out everywhere: Go to your account settings and log out of all active Instagram sessions across all devices. Log back in only on your own devices. This ensures there are no rogue connections.
Change your password: Reset your Instagram password so any unknown services/users are forced to log in again. You‘ll get notifications of any login attempts.
Request a review: Use Instagram‘s support form to request a manual review of your account if the warning persists.
Appeal disabled account: If your account is accidentally disabled, you can submit an appeal to Instagram to investigate and hopefully restore it.

Basically, if you know you‘ve done nothing wrong, just keep using Instagram normally. Their systems should eventually recognize your legitimate human activity patterns.

Pro Tips to Avoid "Automated Behavior" Warnings

Here are a few pro tips from a seasoned Instagram expert on keeping your account in good standing:

Never use follower/engagement services – Real, engaged followers take time to build organically. Automated services always get flagged.
Be wary of connecting new apps – Only link apps you fully understand and trust. Review permissions carefully before granting access.
Avoid shady analytics apps – Safe options like Iconosquare provide analytics without automated collection or API abuse. Prioritize data privacy.
Don‘t automate actions – Letting apps automatically like posts or comment on your behalf is a red flag. Keep your interactions manual.
Review Instagram‘s terms – Understand exactly what is allowed and prohibited. When in doubt, avoid anything questionable.
Use unique passwords – Have different passwords across accounts and enable two-factor authentication for security.
Monitor login notifications – Watch for any unknown login attempts and reset your password if suspicious.

Following best practices tailored to Instagram‘s policies will help your account avoid any "automated behavior" pitfalls. Take a proactive approach to maximize security.

The Bottom Line

I know first-hand how annoying and disruptive it can be to get hit with Instagram‘s "automated behavior" warning when you‘ve done nothing wrong. But take it from me, there are clear ways to fix this issue and prevent it in the future:

Double check and remove any connected third-party apps that may be causing problems.
If you don‘t see any app connections, it‘s likely a false positive that will resolve with continued normal usage.
Beef up your overall Instagram security with strong passwords and login notifications.
Avoid common automated triggers like follower services, dubious analytics apps, bots, and automation scripts.
Only access Instagram directly from their official apps and website.

Stick to organic, human-powered usage patterns tailored to Instagram‘s policies and you should be all set! Let me know if the "automated behavior" warning pops up again and we‘ll get to the bottom of it.