In this Article:
If you’re missing Instagram analytics data in Later, there are several possible reasons. This article explains the most common causes, requirements, and limitations.
Important Things to Know
- Desktop only: Most Instagram analytics in Later are available on desktop, not mobile.
- Account type required: Instagram analytics are only available for Instagram Business or Creator profiles.
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Data delay: Analytics can take up to 24 hours to appear after:
- Connecting an Instagram profile
- Refreshing your profile connection
- Switching to a Business or Creator profile
- Upgrading your Later plan
- Boosted posts: Later does not include analytics for boosted (paid) Instagram posts.
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Plan limits:
- Starter plan includes 3 months of analytics
- Growth plan or higher includes up to 1 year of analytics
- Instagram downtime: Some issues are outside of Later’s control. If Instagram experiences downtime, analytics data may be missing for that period. Later will attempt to backfill data when possible.
Common Reasons Instagram Analytics Are Missing
Your Instagram account needs to be reconnected
If your Instagram Business or Creator profile is disconnected from Later, analytics collection may stop.
Solution: Refresh your Instagram profile in Later to resume data collection: Refresh Your Social Profile Connection
Not all required permissions were granted
Later needs full permissions to access Instagram analytics through Facebook.
Result: If permissions are missing, analytics data cannot be pulled.
Solution: Log in through Facebook and grant permissions to all relevant pages: Reset your Instagram connection in Later
Your Instagram account was a personal profile
Instagram does not provide analytics for personal profiles.
Result: Analytics will only appear from the date you switched to a Business or Creator profile.
You have fewer than 100 followers
Due to Instagram limitations, accounts with fewer than 100 followers cannot access certain audience insights.
Missing data may include: Age, Gender, Location, or Language.
Scenario: A post is missing time-based performance charts
Time-based performance charts may be unavailable if your Instagram account was temporarily disconnected at the time the post was published.
Solution: Refresh your Instagram connection in Later: Refresh Your Social Profile Connection
Backfilling Instagram Analytics Data
Later collects two types of Instagram analytics data: historical and real-time. Whether missing data can be recovered depends on the type of data that is missing.
Historical data (can be backfilled)
Historical data is stored on the Instagram API. If your Instagram profile connection expires and you see gaps in your analytics, Later may be able to backfill this data.
Why this works: Later can pull previously stored data from the Instagram API to fill in gaps once your profile is reconnected.
Later will try to backfill:
- Overview page: Profile Summary table (total posts, followers, following), Reach, and Best Performing Posts.
- Post performance: Only current totals can be backfilled with today’s numbers.
Real-time data (cannot be backfilled)
Real-time data is collected as it happens and is not stored or archived by Instagram.
Why this can’t be backfilled: Because the data isn’t stored historically, there is no data available for Later to retrieve after the fact.
Example: You’re missing Instagram Stories performance data from January 1–5 due to a disconnected profile. Since Stories data is collected during a 24-hour window and isn’t archived, Later cannot backfill this data.