Short answer: automation is allowed when it runs through the platform's official API and replies to people who contacted you first. What gets accounts restricted is software that logs in with your password, or bots that comment and DM strangers.
Two very different kinds of automation
- Official API: the platform gives an approved app limited permission. You can revoke it any time, and the platform sets the rules.
- Password tools: an app logs in as you and imitates taps. Platforms treat this as inauthentic activity.
AeroReply is the first kind. You connect with the platform's own login screen and never share a password.
Meta's rules for Instagram and Facebook
- Replying to DMs: an app can reply automatically within 24 hours of the person's last message (Meta). After that, a human needs to reply.
- Replying to a comment with a DM (private reply): one message per comment, sent within 7 days of the comment. A follow-up is allowed only after the person replies (Meta).
- Messenger: the same 24-hour window, a human agent tag for manual replies within 7 days, and a recommendation to make clear when a bot is replying (Meta).
These limits are why comment-to-DM flows work: someone comments a keyword, which is a request, and gets one useful message back.
The other networks
- X: automated replies are only allowed to people who asked to hear from you, and replying to keyword searches alone isn't allowed (X).
- LinkedIn: bots that comment, like or share are banned outright (LinkedIn).
- TikTok: we found no official API for automated comment replies or DMs, so AeroReply doesn't offer them there.
A simple test
Before you automate anything, ask: did this person contact me first, and would they be glad to get this message? If both answers are yes, you're inside the rules. If not, don't send it.
How AeroReply keeps you inside the lines
- Official connections only: no passwords, revoke from the platform any time.
- AutoDM replies only to people who commented or messaged you.
- Replies can wait for your approval, and auto-send only above an intent score you set.
Set it up: AutoDM, AI reply drafts.
Frequently asked questions
Can Instagram ban me for using an auto DM tool?
Tools that use Meta's official API and only reply to people who commented or messaged you follow Meta's rules. Password-based bots and mass DMs to strangers are what get accounts restricted.
How long do I have to reply to an Instagram DM automatically?
Meta allows automated replies within 24 hours of the person's last message. After that, a person on your team needs to reply.
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