Instagram Adds more Control over Third-Party apps (New Instagram update)

Instagram has always tried to make its platform a better place for users. They care a lot about the content people share with them. A new Instagram update rolled out just today, adds some options, improving the Instagram privacy of users, and the managing of the third-party apps connected to our to Instagram accounts, easier.

Starting from today, Instagram has added a new feature, letting users manage the third-party apps they have linked their accounts to, and it wants to give people more control over the data they share with other apps and services.

As announced on the Instagram press website earlier today, you can now manage connections to third-party apps through Instagram settings. You will clearly see a list of third-party apps your account is connected to, then you are able to manage the apps or remove the connection between the account and any third-party apps you do not use any more, or you want to get rid of using them.

This new Instagram update is only added for the sake of users and their Instagram privacy and is a way to manage the third-party apps your account is connected to in a more convenient way.

What is an example of third party apps?

It is normal if some of you have never heard of third party apps before. So here I am with the complete explanation of what are third party apps and some good examples of them for more clear understanding. 

Third-party apps are applications created by a developer or company other than the original creator of the main app or device. These apps aren’t the owner of the website that offers it or the developers who created it.

Third-party apps can both be approved or banned by the original developers. Take an example of Instagram tools such as photo editors. These apps give you the option to add filters to photos before sharing to Instagram, and you can change the brightness, contrast and do many other options for any picture using these apps. But Instagram itself also offers these options when creating posts to share. Such editors are third party apps for Instagram content editing.

Another tangible example can be the Instagram scheduling tools, such as Instazood, which help users to schedule all their content beforehand, to be posted in a set date and time in the future, without even having to touch their phones for posting. Or the auto DM service, which would help you send prepared direct messages to all your followers or the new followers you get and also have access to your direct messages from a web browser on a PC and Mac.

Are third party apps safe?

Yes, trusted third-party apps are totally safe. As mentioned earlier, third party apps can be both banned by the original applications and welcomed by them. All third party apps do, is to add more options and functions to the existing features of an app and ditch some limits the original app has, and users are looking for ways to get rid of these limits.

Because of these reasons, sometimes, the creators of the original apps might find these third parties an obstacle and try to avoid users from using them. But overall, thirds part apps are safe and useful most of the time.

Manage third-party apps connections in the Instagram setting panel

Most of these instagram third-party apps need the accounts’ information such as username and password to connect to the user’s account. In this new Instagram update, they have tried making it easier for people to manage all of the third-party apps they connect to their Instagram accounts.

Now that you are aware of this new Instagram update, it’s time to know where this option is added on our Instagram setting panel. We can now manage our connections to third-party apps by going into the Settings panel. Just follow the steps below:

• Go to “Settings” in the Instagram app.
• Next, tap “Security.”
• Then tap “Apps and Websites.”

Now you can either manage or remove any third-party apps you no longer want to be connected to your Instagram account. When you remove a third-party app, they will no longer have access to new data on your account.

Instagram third party apps new authorization screen

Another option added in this new Instagram update is that you are now able to know what specific data third party apps are requesting from you by an authorization screen, which lists all the information the third party is requesting to access.

Since this Instagram update is still very new and has been announced only today, it will be applied gradually to all the accounts in the new few months, and users are finally able to have more control over the data they share with third-party apps.