To make sure Manychat routes your customer messages correctly, set up Conversation Routing on your connected Instagram Page.

This article explains what Conversation Routing is and how to configure it for Instagram.

What is Conversation Routing

Conversation Routing determines how incoming messages are automatically handled by apps connected to your Page, such as Manychat. It allows you to specify which app should respond to messages based on their entry point — for example, from ads, links, or organic chats — ensuring a seamless operation between automation and live support. 

Meta introduced this system to create richer conversations between businesses and customers. Instead of requiring complex business logic inside each app, Conversation Routing coordinates multiple apps to work together seamlessly. 

If only one app is connected to your Page, it will automatically handle all messages. When multiple apps are connected, Conversation Routing directs each message to the correct app to avoid conflicts or duplicate replies.

Setting up Conversation Routing for Instagram

Selecting the right method

You can connect Instagram to Manychat in two ways: either through the New Instagram API or via Meta Business Suite.

Before getting started, check which connection type your Instagram account is using. Here’s how:

1. Open your Manychat account.
2. Click the Help button.
3. Click Refresh permissions.
4. If you see a Meta Business Suite pop-up window, it means you have connected your Instagram account to Manychat via Meta Business Suite.
5. If you see a pop-up window for refreshing your app permissions, it means your account is connected via the New Instagram API.

Setting up Conversation Routing for Instagram connected via Meta Business Suite

To ensure messages are routed correctly, start by setting Manychat as the default app on your Instagram Page. Follow these steps:

1. Open your Facebook Business Page Settings and switch to the Page setup tab.
2. Click on Instagram conversation routing.
3. If you see that there's no default routing app selected:
   • Click the Set up button.
   • In the pop-up that opens, click Get Started.
   • Check that Manychat appears as the default routing app and click Continue.
4. If there's a default routing app already selected:
   • Click on the three-dot menu button.
   • Select Edit.
   • Choose Manychat as your default routing app. 
   • Check that Allow this app to take control of conversations toggle is on, then click Save.

Once you’ve added Manychat as a default app, you have to check if the advanced messaging settings are on for Manychat:

1. Open your Facebook Business Page Settings and switch to the Page setup tab.
2. Click on the Advanced messaging.
3. Under Connected apps, click the Edit button next to Manychat’s name.
4. Make sure that all toggles are on in the pop-up window, and click Save.

Next, disable the Handover Protocol if it was previously set up:

1. Go back to Advanced messaging.
2. In the App settings block, click the Configure button next to Instagram Receiver.
3. If you see Manychat selected in the Primary receiver for handover protocol you need to deselect it:
   1. Click on Manychat name.
   2. Click on the checkmark icon in the pop-up window to deselect it.
4. If you see Select, it means the Handover Protocol isn’t being used, and no further action is needed.

After all steps are completed, make sure to refresh permissions for Instagram to see the changes live.

Setting up Conversation Routing for Instagram connected via New Instagram API

To configure Conversation Routing for an Instagram account connected through the New Instagram API, start by setting Manychat as the default app:

1. Go to Meta Business Suite and click Settings.
2. Click on Integrations and select Conversation Routing from the list.
3. Next, click on your Instagram account name.
4. In the Routing tab, under Default routing, click the three-dot menu button and then Edit next to the selected app’s name.
5. In the window that opens, select Manychat-IG in the Send conversation to dropdown.
6. Click Save.

Next, you need to enable Partner App Permissions for Manychat:

1. Switch to the Partner apps tab.
2. Click Manage next to Manychat-IG.
3. Make sure that toggles for all the permissions are on and click Save.

⚠️ Important: If you see other apps listed, make sure Take control of conversation is turned off for those apps. Otherwise, they may interfere with Manychat automations.

If no profiles appear, you need to set up a fallback:

1. Switch to your Facebook Business Page. 
2. Open Instagram Conversation Routing settings.
3. If no app is selected as the default routing app:
   • Click Set up.
   • Select Manychat-IG as the default routing app.
   • Make sure that the Allow this app to take control of conversations toggle is on.
4. If any other app is selected as default:
   • Click the three-dot menu button next to the app’s name and select Edit.
   • Select Manychat-IG from the dropdown as the default routing app.
   • Make sure that the Allow this app to take control of conversations toggle is on.

After all steps are completed, make sure to refresh permissions for Instagram to see the changes live.