Making use of the Instagram application is a very fun thing to do and as with other social networks where one has to create a profile before use so as to allow a personal page this is also done with Instagram.
Instagram is not only used by individuals for personal use it can also be used by businesses to advertise their products and for marketing.
Instagram is such that you can have a personal page and a business page, whereby the usernames differ for example you can have multiple people on the platform with the same first name and sometimes the last name but what is used to differentiate them is their username, no two people can have the same username once a username has been chosen by one person automatically no one else is allowed to use it again on the Instagram platform.
So when you create a username it has to be unique, usernames are how people are identified on the Instagram platform and other social media platforms.
Username Change Limit
Username is one of the most vital aspects of a user’s profile and each username is unique to each user. Now as with all other aspects of life there is always a need for change, hence the likelihood for changing in usernames by people at various times.
To make this change of names more orderly and kept unique there has to be a limit placed which would help restrict the number of times a name can be changed to help maintain the uniqueness of usernames on the Instagram platform.
So what Instagram decided to do was to implement a restriction on the change of names such that a name can only be changed at most twice every two weeks meaning that in a month the most a name can be changed is four times.
So the limit in place is to help curb the use of similar names by different people. So it works in such a way that once you change a name it automatically ceases to be yours so it is made available for another person to pick i.e.
once you change your Instagram name, the old name becomes available for selection by others. So restricting the change of names helps regularise accounts.
In order to be able to implement changes on your username, one has to first have an account, create a username, etc. so steps to follow in the creation of these are outlined below.
Creating a username for Instagram
For Instagram profile display name and username are some of the most important details needed because these are what people can use to identify and search for one’s profile on the Instagram app.
For example, for a business page, you ensure that the username contains keywords that link to the business to enable its visibility in searches.
Username is how one is recognized on Instagram, all contents and post engagements by followers and users of Instagram are linked with it.
Username is what defines your account, when referring to a user it is represented with @ for example if a username is posiki when referring to it or searching for the name it is @posiki.
Instagram username is limited to thirty characters which should contain either only letters, numbers, periods, or underscores. Symbols and punctuation marks do not form part of a username.
So for a business account, one has to make sure the username chosen truly exemplifies what the business is all about i.e. its services and other essential details.
For business accounts, it is better for the name and username to be different this allows them to perform better in searches and helps distinguish them thereby making them put on a more professional outlook.
For a business account, the name of the account can be the business name while the username can be an abbreviation of the original name. the username is tied to the URL of your account so there are limited times to which you can change your username because once you change the username automatically the URL changes, so Instagram has a limit to how you can change your username.
How to Create an Instagram Account
An Instagram account can either be for personal use or for business purposes whereby you advertise what your business is all about and posts in the said account are all centered on your business. A user can have multiple accounts on the same phone or Instagram app.
In creating an Instagram account their several steps to follow whether it’s on a mobile phone or on a desktop site.
Steps in creating an account on a phone
· Download the Instagram app from google play store for android phones and from apple store for iPhones
· Open the app once installed
· Create a new account, use either your phone number or email
· Enter your chosen username and password
· Fill out all the personal details fields
· Submit
Steps in creating an account on a desktop
· Open your web browser
· Type in Instagram.com
· Enter your phone number or email
· Input your full name, username, and password
· Click next then register
Alternatively, you can create an account directly from Facebook as long as you are logged in
Changing username and display name
The display name is different from username in that it doesn’t have to be unique for example if your display name is praise osiki there might be other people bearing that name on the Instagram app but it is still accepted whereas your username has to be unique if it is not Instagram would notify you to choose another one so in this way two people cannot have the same username, so when a username has been chosen Instagram automatically disallows anyone else from choosing it.
So two people can have the same display name but not a username. There are various reasons for name change which include:
·You have outgrown the name: for example when you started using Instagram you had a nickname that was popular and a lot of people knew you by it but over time your sphere of friends changed so you saw no use in using a name people cannot connect with again so you decided to change it
· Your name reflects a job you no longer have
·The name you originally wanted to choose had already been taken so you had to settle for one that was different and a bit longer, but over time you saw a better name you could use and it was available
·You are renaming your business, this applies to a business account whereby you decided on a name change for your business in order to reach a larger audience while still being in touch with the correct audience.
A business name can be changed due to new ownership also, so the new owner decides to change it to reflect his or her own personal tastes.
Steps to follow in changing username on the Instagram mobile app
· Open the Instagram app, assuming you already have an account
· Click on the account icon at the bottom right-hand side, this takes you to your profile
· Click edit profile to change the name
If you have more than one account registered on the app, for example, you have a personal account and business account
· Click on the account you want to change
· Click on edit profile
· Click on the text fields next to username or name
· Input your changes
· Click done to save changes
Steps to follow in changing Instagram username on a desktop site
· Open the web browser of your choice
· Go to Instagram.com
· Click on the account icon at the top right-hand side
· Select edit profile
· In the username field-effect your changes
· Save changes then submit
If a mistake is made during the inputting process you can change it within fourteen days.
These steps can also be used in changing the display name of your Instagram account. There is no limit in changing your username, the only name change that entails a limit is your account name which can only be changed twice in two weeks.
Once you have changed your Instagram name go through your Instagram bio and change your old name there to reflect your new one.
Also, you have to change all your hashtags that had your old name to enable people to view your posts and not be confused, so enact changes on your hashtags were needed to reflect the new Instagram name.
Why can’t I change my username on Instagram?
It is not a difficult thing to change your username. However when you type in the username and you see that it refuses to change this can be as a result of the username being unavailable it means your chosen username has already been selected by someone else.
Alternatively, a username can be unavailable due to the previous account owner being blocked or banned by Instagram, once an account is banned or the account blocked the username is rendered inactive permanently.
When you change your username your followers are not lost because you are not creating a new profile so everything remains the same.
There is no limitation to the change of username on Instagram, but changing of the account name or profile name can only be done twice in fourteen days, so if you have changed your name twice already you have to wait for another fourteen days in order to effect another change on it.
There is a difference between the display name and the username. The display name can be found below your picture on your profile while the username is found at the top of your profile and at the end of your profile URL.
How to delete your Instagram account or temporarily disable it
There is no direct option on the mobile app for deleting your account, so to delete your account from Instagram you have to make use of a web browser although your account can be temporarily disabled on your phone.
Before deleting an account be very sure because once deleted it cannot be restored back, thereby loss of followers and posts.
Steps to follow in deleting your Instagram account
· Open your web browser on your phone
· Go to http://instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/permanent
· Login into your account using your email or phone number and your password
· After login you will then be asked why you are deleting your account
· Select an option from what is available
· Enter your password again
· Click on permanently delete my account at the end
· Click ok when you are asked to confirm if you are sure
· Now your account has been permanently deleted meaning you no longer have any access to it.
Steps to follow in temporarily disabling your Instagram account
· Open a web browser on your phone
· Go to http://instagram.com/accounts/remove/request
· Login to your Instagram account
· Input the reason for disabling your account
· Enter your password when prompted
· Click temporarily disable account
· Confirm by clicking ok
· Your account has now been disabled
Steps to follow in reactivating your Instagram account
In the event that you change your mind after disabling your account the following steps are to be used, bear in mind that only disabled accounts can be reactivated deleted accounts cannot be recovered again because they have been permanently removed.
· On your phone which might be IOS or android click on the Instagram icon to open the app
· Go to the login page
· Enter your username and password for the account you want to reactivate
· Click on login
· You will be taken to your page where you can see your feeds
· Your account has been restored
· It is advisable to wait a minimum of a day after disabling an account before you reactivate it due to the fact it takes approximately twenty-four hours for the completion of the disabling of an account.
So it is worthy to note that before you delete an account be sure you would not want to return so that instead of deleting you can disable this way you can return because once an account is deleted it cannot be recovered, so if you come back to Instagram it would mean you creating a new account, starting afresh for regaining your followers, etc.
How to logout on Instagram from a mobile phone and a computer to protect an accounts security
It is advisable to periodically log out of your Instagram account to protect the security of your account especially if you make use of a shared device whereby other people can have access to your details.
Logging out on your phone won’t log you out on your computer or any other device you have made use of for logging in on Instagram, so make sure you logout on to all devices you have used at one point in time to log in to your account or accounts.
Always imbibe the habit of logging out once you are done with your activities on the Instagram app or website.
Steps to follow to log out on your mobile phone
· On the Instagram app open on your phone
· Click on the circle at the bottom right-hand side
· Click on the three parallel horizontal lines at the top right-hand side
· A menu pops up
· Click on the settings at the bottom of the screen
· Click on logout
Steps to follow to log out on a desktop or computer
· Click on the icon representing a person’s image at the top right-hand side
· Click on the icon next to the edit profile
· On the next menu
· Select logout.
Do this for all mobile devices and computer systems you have used to login in the past.