Meta simplifies Instagram and marketing API integrations

On January 21, 2025, Meta announced significant updates to the Instagram Graph API and Marketing API, aimed at simplifying integrations for developers and businesses. The changes include the deprecation of several legacy endpoints and the introduction of new fields and metrics to enhance functionality and data clarity. According to the announcement, developers will have until January 21, 2026, to migrate Marketing API endpoints and until April 21, 2025, to update Graph API endpoints.

The updates focus on replacing older objects such as Instagram User, Instagram Media, Instagram Carousel, and Instagram Comment with their newer counterparts: IG User, IG Media, and IG Comment. These changes are designed to provide parity for most use cases while removing redundant or outdated fields. For example, the Instagram Media object will no longer support fields like filter_name, location, latitude, and longitude. Similarly, the permalink and caption fields for carousel child media will be removed.

The IG User object introduces new fields such as has_profile_picture, is_published, and edges like /authorized_adaccounts, /agencies, and /upcoming_events. These additions aim to provide more comprehensive data for developers. The follow_count and followed_by_count fields have been renamed to follows_count and followers_count, respectively, while profile_pic is now profile_picture_url.

For media objects, the taken_at field in Instagram Media corresponds to the timestamp field in IG Media. The content_type field, which previously returned an integer, now returns an enum string value (e.g., 0 → IMAGE, 1 → VIDEO, 4 → BROADCAST, 8 → CAROUSEL_ALBUM). The caption_text field in Instagram Media aligns with the caption field in IG Media, though carousel child captions will no longer be available. The display_url and video_url fields have been consolidated into a single media_url field, simplifying data retrieval.

The Instagram Comment object has also been updated. The instagram_user field now corresponds to the user field, which returns an IG User instead of an Instagram User. Meta has introduced new ID fields, such as ig_user_id, ig_media_id, and ig_comment_id, to facilitate the transition from legacy objects. These fields will remain available until April 21, 2025.

In the Marketing API, fields like instagram_actor_id and instagram_story_id will be replaced with instagram_user_id and instagram_media_id, respectively. Any edge that previously returned an Instagram User will now return an IG User. According to the announcement, several endpoints will no longer support legacy objects starting January 21, 2026. These include /generatepreviews, /act_<adaccount_id>/generatepreviews, and various endpoints for ad campaigns, creatives, and async ad requests.

For the Graph API, legacy objects will no longer be supported after April 21, 2025. Affected endpoints include those for retrieving Instagram user data, media, comments, and carousels, as well as endpoints for managing Instagram accounts linked to Facebook Pages and business assets.

Meta has also introduced changes to the Insights API to improve metric clarity. In August 2024, Instagram introduced views as the primary consumption metric for measuring content performance across reels, live videos, photos, carousels, and stories. Starting with API v22, the views metric will be available for both media and user insights. For media insights, Feed, Story, and Reels objects will return views. User insights will support the views metric with multi-dimensional breakdowns for follower type and media product type.

Several older metrics will be deprecated in v22. These include plays, clips_replays_count, and ig_reels_aggregated_all_plays_count for media insights, as well as impressions for both media and user insights. The impressions metric will only be deprecated for media created on or after July 2, 2024. For older media, the API will continue to return impressions values as usual.

According to the announcement, these updates aim to align the functionality of the Instagram API with the Instagram app, providing businesses and creators with more accurate and actionable data. Developers are encouraged to review the changes and update their applications by the specified deadlines to avoid disruptions.

The January 21, 2025 announcement reflects Meta’s ongoing efforts to streamline its developer tools and improve data transparency. By consolidating endpoints, introducing new fields, and refining metrics, the company aims to make it easier for developers to build solutions that meet the needs of businesses and creators.

These updates come at a time when digital platforms are increasingly focused on providing clear and reliable data to users. The shift toward views as a primary metric underscores the importance of understanding content performance in a way that aligns with user behavior.

Meta’s approach to simplifying API integrations and enhancing data clarity demonstrates a commitment to supporting developers and businesses in a rapidly changing digital landscape. The changes announced on January 21, 2025, are expected to have a significant impact on how developers interact with Instagram and Marketing APIs, paving the way for more efficient and effective solutions.

As the deadlines for migration approach, developers and businesses will need to carefully review the updates and plan their transitions accordingly. The availability of new fields and metrics, along with the deprecation of legacy objects, represents a significant step forward in the evolution of Meta’s developer tools.