Instagram to fix iMessage link previews bug

Layout from Instagram on iPhone 11 Pro
Layout from Instagram on iPhone 11 Pro (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Instagram is working to resolve a problem with link previews in iMessage.
  • A problem with request forwarding means links send through the platform don't show up properly.

Instagram says it is working to fix a problem with link previews not showing up properly in iMessage.

From Mashable:

Have you noticed recently that Instagram links are not generating previews when sent through iMessage? I noticed this irritation a few months ago, and people have been complaining about it on Reddit, too. Instead, all that appears when you try to send an Instagram post to someone is the ugly Instagram URL, and users have to click through to see the post. The horror!It wasn't always this way — Instagram previews used to work fine. The particularly weird thing about this issue is that Instagram previews only seem to cause an issue in iMessage, not when sent through other platforms, like Slack. And links from other websites, like Twitter or Google, preview fine when sent through iMessage.

Mashable says it reached out to Instagram that has confirmed a bug with link previews:

"This issue is due to a bug, and we are actively working to resolve Instagram link previews in iMessage so that they load normally," an Instagram spokesperson said over email.

As confirmed by security duo Mysk, network traffic shows that when you send and Instagram link through iMessage, iMessage tries to open the link to look for the metadata and generate a preview, but Instagram forwards the requests to the login page, which has no metadata for link previews, meaning nothing shows up.

Instagram didn't give a time frame for the fix, but rest assured one is on the way.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9