# "We Suspect Automated Behavior" on Instagram: What to Do > Instagram says "We suspect automated behavior on your account"? What it means in Malaysia, how to cut off follower apps and secure the account first. - URL: https://www.awarexone.com/research/instagram-suspect-automated-behavior - Author: Md Shariar Shanaz Shuvon, Founder & CEO, AwareXone - Published: 2026-09-29 - Topics: Instagram, Account security, Malaysia - Related service: Instagram account recovery: https://www.awarexone.com/social-media-recovery/instagram-account-recovery ## Short answer It means Instagram thinks something other than you, usually an app or website holding your login, is acting on your account. Remove every app you do not fully trust from Website permissions, change your password to log out other sessions, turn on two-factor authentication and check Account Status. Stop using follower or like services for good. ## Summary - The warning means Instagram thinks something other than you, usually an app or website holding your login, is acting on your account. - Remove every app you do not fully trust from Website permissions, then change your password so all other sessions are logged out. - Turn on two-factor authentication and open Account Status to see whether any feature has already been limited. - Stop using follower, like or auto comment services for good, because Instagram's rules say breaking them can lead to restrictions or a disabled account. - No one outside Instagram can remove the warning, and nobody genuine will ask for your password, login codes or backup codes. - Instagram decides whether to restrict or disable the account, and any review or appeal runs through Account Status or the notice Instagram shows you. You open Instagram to post a new product photo and a grey box covers the screen: "We suspect automated behavior on your account." You have not installed a bot. You only tapped "Log in with Instagram" on a follower tracker last month, or typed your password into a site that promised free likes. Now you are wondering whether the account is about to disappear. Usually it is not, yet. The warning means Instagram has seen activity it believes is automated, most often from an app or website that holds your login. The fix is to cut that access off, change your password, turn on two-factor authentication and stop the activity for good. Do that today and most people carry on using the account normally. This guide explains what the notice is reacting to, the exact steps to take in the app, how to tell a warning from a real restriction, and the scams aimed at people who have just seen it. Last checked: 29 September 2026. ## What Does "We Suspect Automated Behavior on Your Account" Mean? It means Instagram's systems think your account is being used by software rather than by you, and they are asking you to secure it before they limit it. Instagram's help page on [restrictions for data scraping](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/740480200552298) lists the usual causes: the account is accessing or collecting information in an automated way without permission, you gave your username and password to a third-party app or website "like apps that offer likes or followers", or you used an app or service to interact with Instagram in unauthorised ways. The same page tells you what to do: check your login activity, remove suspicious apps, change your password and turn on two-factor authentication. Instagram's help centre does not publish the exact text of this notice, and the wording and buttons vary by app version and region, so screenshot yours. ## Why Instagram Flags an Account as Automated Instagram's rules forbid automation you did not get permission for. Its [Terms of Use](https://help.instagram.com/581066165581870) say you cannot access or collect information in unauthorised ways, including "in an automated way without our express permission". They also forbid collecting other people's login details or misusing access tokens, which is exactly what most follower services do with yours. Its [Community Guidelines](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/477434105621119) ask you not to artificially collect likes, followers or shares, and not to post repetitive comments or content. Instagram's page on [changes to your likes, follows or comments](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/572730176521116) adds that non-Instagram apps create automated likes, comments and follows to make an account look more popular, that this breaks the guidelines, and that the activity is removed when it is found. In practice, these are the things that tend to sit behind the warning: - A follower or like service you gave your password to, even once, even years ago. It may still be logging in as you. - An "unfollowers tracker", story viewer or analytics tool that asked you to sign in with your Instagram details rather than through Instagram's own permission screen. - Auto comment, auto like or auto DM tools, including browser extensions. - A shared login: a freelancer, an agency or a relative using your password from another device or an unfamiliar tool. - Someone who stole your password and is quietly using the account to follow, like or scrape. The warning can be the first sign of a takeover. The offer may say "free followers", "tambah followers" or "auto like". The mechanism is the same. The app needs your login to act as you, and Instagram's [account security tips](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/369001149843369) say that once an app has your login, "they can gain complete access to your account". ## Which Situation Are You In? Several Instagram notices look alike when you are worried. Match what you see to the right row before you act, because each one has a different route. *Instagram notices that are often confused with the automated behaviour warning, at the time of writing.* | What you see | What it usually means | What to do first | | --- | --- | --- | | "We suspect automated behavior on your account" | Instagram has seen automated activity and wants you to secure the account | Remove app access, change your password, turn on two-factor authentication | | A notice that your account has been restricted for data scraping | Instagram has already limited the account and flagged it for review | Secure the account the same way, then check Account Status for a review option | | "Try again later" when you like, follow or comment | A temporary limit on one action | Stop that action for a while; see our guide to action blocks | | Your follower or like count suddenly drops | Instagram removed engagement it considers inauthentic | Nothing to appeal; stop using any growth service | | "Features you can't use" in Account Status | A restriction on specific features | Follow the steps Account Status gives, including a review where offered | | A disabled or suspended account notice | The account has been taken down | Use the appeal in the notice before its deadline | | Your password no longer works, or the email has changed | Probably a takeover, not a warning | Go to instagram.com/hacked and follow the recovery steps | If your problem is the "Try again later" message rather than this warning, our guide to [Instagram action blocks](https://www.awarexone.com/research/instagram-try-again-later-action-block) covers it separately. ## What to Do in the Next 15 Minutes Work through these in order on the device you normally use. Each step comes from Instagram's own security guidance; labels can differ slightly between the app, the website and Instagram Lite. 1. Screenshot the warning, including the date and any buttons it offers. If it gives an option to secure the account, use it. 2. Remove third-party access. Instagram's page on [managing apps and websites](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/1144624522593085) says to open Settings, go to "Website permissions", tap "Apps and websites", choose "Active" and tap "Remove" next to anything you do not use or trust. 3. Check your recent login activity and remove any login you do not recognise. 4. Change your password to a new one you have not used anywhere else. Instagram says changing it logs you out of all logged-in devices, including suspicious ones, which cuts off tools that kept a session open. 5. Turn on two-factor authentication. Instagram's [two-factor authentication page](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/566810106808145) places it under Accounts Center, then "Password and security", then "Two-factor authentication", and recommends an authentication app. 6. Save the backup codes Instagram offers somewhere offline. They are for you alone. 7. Confirm the email address and phone number on the account are yours, and remove any linked account in Accounts Center that you do not recognise. 8. Open Account Status (Settings, then "Account Status" under "More info and support") to see whether anything has already been limited. Removing an app stops it reaching your non-public information through Instagram from that point on. Instagram's page on managing apps notes that the app "may have stored information" from when you used it, so treat anything you shared with it as already out of your hands. Our walkthrough of [setting up two-factor authentication](https://www.awarexone.com/research/two-factor-authentication-instagram-facebook-tiktok) explains which method to choose and how to keep backup codes safe. > Note: **If you cannot log in any more.** A warning you can dismiss is one thing. If your password stopped working or the email on the account changed, treat it as a takeover. Instagram's hacked account help page says to look for an email from security@mail.instagram.com and use its "secure my account" option, or request a login link from the login screen. ## Will Instagram Restrict or Disable the Account? It can, and the risk grows if the automated activity continues. The warning is a chance to stop it. Instagram's Community Guidelines say that overstepping them "may result in deleted content, disabled accounts, or other restrictions", and its [Third Party Apps page](https://help.instagram.com/588549329146493/) warns you never to share your login with any person or app you do not trust. The data scraping page describes accounts being restricted and flagged for further review. [Account Status](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/338481628002750) is where you see what, if anything, has happened. It shows removed content, "Features you can't use", and a "Request a review" option where Instagram offers one. Instagram notes that in most cases you get a warning before losing access to the account. If a feature is already limited, follow the steps shown there rather than guessing. If the account is later disabled, the route changes to an appeal from the disable notice. Our guide to [a disabled Instagram account in Malaysia](https://www.awarexone.com/research/instagram-account-disabled-malaysia) explains that process and its deadline. ## Mistakes That Make It Worse Most restrictions after this warning come from what happens next, not from the original app. Avoid these: - Dismissing the warning and carrying on. If the app still holds a session, the activity continues and Instagram sees it again. - Removing the app but keeping the same password. A service that stored your password can simply log in again. - Switching to a different follower service that promises to be "safe" or "undetectable". It uses the same access and breaks the same rules. - Buying followers or likes to replace ones Instagram removed. - Creating a backup account to carry on the same activity. Instagram's Terms forbid creating accounts in automated or unauthorised ways, and a second account does not protect the first. - Letting an agency or freelancer keep using your password from their own devices and tools, where you cannot see what runs on your account. - Tapping links in DMs or emails that claim to fix the warning. ## Scams Aimed at People Who See This Warning Anyone who posts about the warning in a public group or comment thread can expect offers of help. Some arrive as fake "Meta Support" or "Instagram Security" DMs saying the account will be deleted unless you verify it through a link. Others offer to "clear the flag" or "whitelist" the account for a fee. > Warning: **Nobody can lift the warning for you.** Instagram handles this inside the app. No person or page outside Instagram can remove a warning or restriction from its systems, and nobody genuine will ask for your password, a login code or your backup codes. If you have already paid a stranger or shared a code, change your password straight away, contact your bank if money went out, call the National Scam Response Centre on 997, and make a police report. Our breakdown of the [first hour after an Instagram hack](https://www.awarexone.com/research/instagram-hacked-first-hour) is the right next read if a "helper" has already had your login. ## How to Grow the Account Without Triggering It Again The warning tends to come back when the underlying habit does. A few rules keep a small business or creator account clear of it: - Only connect tools through Instagram's own permission screen, and review "Apps and websites" every few months. - Never type your Instagram password into another website or app. - Prefer features inside Instagram itself over outside tools that ask for your login. - Write comments and replies yourself; do not paste the same line on many posts. - Keep two-factor authentication on, especially on creator accounts, which Instagram says it turns on by default. - Change the password whenever someone who had it, such as a former staff member or freelancer, stops working with you. Your follower count may drop as Instagram removes inauthentic engagement. That is expected, and there is nothing to appeal. Real followers who engage are worth more to a Malaysian small business than numbers that vanish. ## When Expert Recovery Help Makes Sense For most people, the steps above are the whole job, and you can do them in a few minutes. It is worth asking for help when the warning turns into a restriction on an account that earns you money, when you suspect someone else has been using the account and you are not sure you have locked them out, or when you have lost access altogether. SocialSafe by AwareXone, our recovery service, reviews what has happened and tells you honestly which official route is still open. We work only through Instagram's own processes, and the decision stays with Instagram. Our [Instagram account recovery service](https://www.awarexone.com/social-media-recovery/instagram-account-recovery) explains how the review works, and the [Trust Center](https://www.awarexone.com/trust) sets out what we will never ask you for. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Why does Instagram say I have automated behavior when I don't use bots? Often an app or website you logged in to, such as a follower tracker or a free likes site, is still acting on your account. It can also mean someone else has your password. Remove app access and change your password to cut off both. ### How long does the automated behavior warning last? Instagram does not publish a time for this warning. Securing the account and stopping the activity is what matters; if a feature has been limited, Account Status shows it and any review option. ### Will my Instagram be banned for using a follower app once? Not necessarily, but there is no safe amount. Instagram says it removes automated likes and follows when it finds them, and its rules allow restrictions or a disabled account for breaking them. Remove the app, change your password and stop using it. ### Does uninstalling the follower app fix it? No. The app may still hold your login or a session on its servers. Remove it from "Apps and websites" in Instagram's settings, then change your password so every other session is logged out. ### Can AwareXone remove the warning from my account? No. Only Instagram can lift a warning or restriction. We can review a case where the account has been restricted, disabled or taken over and help you use the official routes properly. ### Kenapa Instagram kata "we suspect automated behavior"? Instagram suspects an app, website or another person is using your account automatically. Remove unfamiliar apps under "Website permissions", change your password and turn on two-factor authentication. ## Official sources - [Instagram Help Center: Why your account has been restricted for data scraping and what can you do (read 29 September 2026)](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/740480200552298) - [Instagram Help Center: Check your Account Status on Instagram (read 29 September 2026)](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/338481628002750) - [Instagram Help Center: Manage the privacy settings for apps and websites that you've logged into or connected on Instagram (read 29 September 2026)](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/1144624522593085) - [Instagram Help Center: Third Party Apps (read 29 September 2026)](https://help.instagram.com/588549329146493/) - [Instagram Help Center: Changes to your likes, follows or comments on Instagram (read 29 September 2026)](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/572730176521116) - [Instagram Help Center: Secure your Instagram account (read 29 September 2026)](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/369001149843369) - [Instagram Help Center: Securing your Meta Account with two-factor authentication (read 29 September 2026)](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/566810106808145) - [Instagram Help Center: If you think your Instagram profile has been hacked (read 29 September 2026)](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/149494825257596) - [Instagram: Terms of Use (read 29 September 2026)](https://help.instagram.com/581066165581870) - [Instagram Help Center: Community Guidelines (read 29 September 2026)](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/477434105621119) --- AwareXone is an independent Malaysia-based provider, not affiliated with any platform. The platform makes the final decision on every account. AwareXone never asks for passwords, OTP codes, backup codes or session cookies.