Instagram has finally followed the lead of Facebook and Twitter by introducing a verification system for its users.
The firm hopes the feature will improve authenticity and trust on the photo-sharing platform, but strict criteria may also leave some users feeling frustrated.
But for anyone wishing to give it a go, here’s a step-by-step guide to getting verified on Instagram.
Instagram verification step 1: Be worthy
Anyone hoping to get the blue verified badge by their account name will first need to be important enough to warrant one.
This means you’ll need to be a “notable public figure, celebrity, global brand or entity”.
11 useful Instagram features you didn’t know existed
1/11 Hide and reorder filters
Filters are a core part of Instagram, but there are so many available it can be easy to get lost. You can change the order in which they appear, and even hide the ones you never use, to speed up your photo-sharing process. On the filters page, scroll to the end, tap Manage, then drag and drop the ones you want to reorder, and un-check the ones you want to hide.
2/11 Never miss a post
Instagram controversially ditched its reverse-chronological order feed for a new order determined by an algorithm, making it easy to completely miss some posts. To make sure you never miss a certain somebody’s updates, you can set up notification for them by visiting their profile, tapping the three dots in the top right-hand corner and selecting Turn On Post Notifications.
3/11 Eat less data
If you’re worried about how much of your mobile data Instagram saps, you can limit it by sacrificing the speed at which the photos and videos in your feed load. Go to your profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, open Cellular Data Use and choose Use Less Data.
4/11 See your Likes
It’s easy to lose track of your friends’ old posts on Instagram, but if you know you Liked it, you’ll be able to track it down easily. Just go to your profile, hit the three dots at the top and select Posts You’ve Liked. You can also save posts in a folder only you can see by tapping the bookmark icon underneath it. Take a look at everything you’ve bookmarked by tapping the same icon that sits near the top of your profile.
5/11 Find relevant hashtags
Everyone knows you can expand the reach of your posts by using a number of relevant hashtags, but what those are aren’t always glaringly obvious. You can easily find the right ones for you by typing a keyword into Instagram’s search bar, selecting a hashtag from the list and swiping along the Related row that appears at the top of the screen.
6/11 Clear your search history
Whatever your reasons are, you can clear your recent searches by going to your profile, hitting the three dots in the top right and selecting Clear Search History. To go a step further and hide your Suggested searches too, go to the search page, tap and hold the account you want to hide, and choose Hide from the pop-up window.
7/11 Hide photos you’re tagged in
Tagged photos on Instagram aren’t as prominent as they are on Facebook, but anyone can still browse through other people’s pictures of you by visiting your profile and tapping the photo of you icon. If you’re tagged in a picture you don’t want other people to see, go to your profile, hit the photos of you icon, tap the three dots at the top of the screen and choose Hide Photos.
8/11 Secure your account
Make your Instagram account much harder to hack by enabling two-factor authentication, a security feature that protects you even if your login details are stolen. Go to your profile, tap the three dots, open Two-Factor Authentication and toggle it on.
9/11 Share lots at once
If you want to upload a bunch of related pictures and videos without flooding everyone else’s feed, you can shared them all as one post. Hit the + icon, select Gallery, choose Select Multiple, pick out up to 10 of the pictures and clips you want, tap Next and reorder them by dragging and dropping.
10/11 Record hands-free
Instagram Stories has been a massive hit since it came out last year, but you might not know that you can record Stories clips without having to hold one of your digits on the record key. On the Stores screen, just swipe through the options at the bottom until you get to Hands-Free.
11/11 Edit posts after publishing
Most people know you can delete any of the images you’ve already posted, but not everyone is aware that you can also edit them. Instagram unfortunately doesn’t let you tinker with filters and effects, but you can change your original caption, tag people and update the location.
1/11 Hide and reorder filters
Filters are a core part of Instagram, but there are so many available it can be easy to get lost. You can change the order in which they appear, and even hide the ones you never use, to speed up your photo-sharing process. On the filters page, scroll to the end, tap Manage, then drag and drop the ones you want to reorder, and un-check the ones you want to hide.
2/11 Never miss a post
Instagram controversially ditched its reverse-chronological order feed for a new order determined by an algorithm, making it easy to completely miss some posts. To make sure you never miss a certain somebody’s updates, you can set up notification for them by visiting their profile, tapping the three dots in the top right-hand corner and selecting Turn On Post Notifications.
3/11 Eat less data
If you’re worried about how much of your mobile data Instagram saps, you can limit it by sacrificing the speed at which the photos and videos in your feed load. Go to your profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, open Cellular Data Use and choose Use Less Data.
4/11 See your Likes
It’s easy to lose track of your friends’ old posts on Instagram, but if you know you Liked it, you’ll be able to track it down easily. Just go to your profile, hit the three dots at the top and select Posts You’ve Liked. You can also save posts in a folder only you can see by tapping the bookmark icon underneath it. Take a look at everything you’ve bookmarked by tapping the same icon that sits near the top of your profile.
5/11 Find relevant hashtags
Everyone knows you can expand the reach of your posts by using a number of relevant hashtags, but what those are aren’t always glaringly obvious. You can easily find the right ones for you by typing a keyword into Instagram’s search bar, selecting a hashtag from the list and swiping along the Related row that appears at the top of the screen.
6/11 Clear your search history
Whatever your reasons are, you can clear your recent searches by going to your profile, hitting the three dots in the top right and selecting Clear Search History. To go a step further and hide your Suggested searches too, go to the search page, tap and hold the account you want to hide, and choose Hide from the pop-up window.
7/11 Hide photos you’re tagged in
Tagged photos on Instagram aren’t as prominent as they are on Facebook, but anyone can still browse through other people’s pictures of you by visiting your profile and tapping the photo of you icon. If you’re tagged in a picture you don’t want other people to see, go to your profile, hit the photos of you icon, tap the three dots at the top of the screen and choose Hide Photos.
8/11 Secure your account
Make your Instagram account much harder to hack by enabling two-factor authentication, a security feature that protects you even if your login details are stolen. Go to your profile, tap the three dots, open Two-Factor Authentication and toggle it on.
9/11 Share lots at once
If you want to upload a bunch of related pictures and videos without flooding everyone else’s feed, you can shared them all as one post. Hit the + icon, select Gallery, choose Select Multiple, pick out up to 10 of the pictures and clips you want, tap Next and reorder them by dragging and dropping.
10/11 Record hands-free
Instagram Stories has been a massive hit since it came out last year, but you might not know that you can record Stories clips without having to hold one of your digits on the record key. On the Stores screen, just swipe through the options at the bottom until you get to Hands-Free.
11/11 Edit posts after publishing
Most people know you can delete any of the images you’ve already posted, but not everyone is aware that you can also edit them. Instagram unfortunately doesn’t let you tinker with filters and effects, but you can change your original caption, tag people and update the location.
Usually, this means anyone with an account that reaches a large audience, though it is not sure exactly how many followers someone needs to qualify, or how notable a figure they need to be.
Unfortunately for most people, it appears that Instagram’s requirements for verification are much stricter than those of Facebook and Twitter.
“Not all Facebook Pages with verified badges have verified badges on their Instagram accounts,” Instagram says in its guidelines. “Currently, only Instagram accounts that have a high likelihood of being impersonated have verified badges.
“If you don’t have a verified badge on Instagram, you can link to your Instagram profile from your official Facebook page to help let people know that you’re authentic.”
Instagram verification step 2: Obey the rules
The next hoop you need to jump to before even beginning the verification process is agreeing to abide by Instagram’s rules.
Instagram CTO Mike Krieger said: “To be verified, an account must comply with Instagram’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.”
The short version of these rules are summed up on Instagram’s Community Guidelines page: “Post only your own photos and videos and always follow the law. Respect everyone on Instagram, don’t spam people or post nudity.”
Instagram verification step 3: Apply for the blue tick badge
The verification request form can be reached by tapping the menu icon on your profile and selecting ‘Settings’.
At the bottom, you’ll find the option to ‘Request Verification’, which will take you to a page where you’ll be asked to fill out your details.
This includes your username, your real name and a copy of your legal or business identification.
Instagram verification step 4: Wait
Simply submitting a request is no guarantee that you’re account will be verified. It first has to pass through Instagram’s review process, which for most people will likely be unsuccessful.
“Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive a notification confirming or declining your request in the notifications tab,” Instagram said.
It’s worth noting that Instagram does not charge for verification, or reach out to users to confirm verification. Anyone who receives such requests may be the target of scammers.
