Instagram is is shutting down deeplinking for private messaging apps like Telegram and Snapchat within its apps.
users were able to include links to a range of social networking website on the ‘add me’ or ‘follow me’ section of their account. In what appears to be an anti-competitive move, the company is preventing users from mentioning links to a Snapchat or Telegram profile on an Instagram account.
“We’ve removed the ability to include ‘add me’ links on Instagram profile pages. This was a rare use-case, and not the way our platform was intended to be used. Other types of links are still allowed,” a spokesperson for the company told, specifying users can still link to Telegram and Snapchat but not as an ‘add-me’ link.
Telegram Messenger founder Pavel Durov also highlighted the issue by sharing tweet
Another @Facebook tentacle closes on users’ ability to share a link to their Telegram profile. #hypocrisy pic.twitter.com/xC6ydp3M0p
— Telegram Messenger (@telegram) March 2, 2016
Instagram bans Telegram and Snapchat links from user profiles
