Instagram Insights Date and Time
Instagram Insights data is aggregated over periods and updates with a delay. Understanding these specifics is important for accurate analytics.
Aggregation Periods
The Instagram Insights API supports the following periods:
| Period | Description | Maximum history |
|---|---|---|
day | Daily data | 30 days |
week | Weekly aggregation | 2 years |
days_28 | 28-day rolling period | 2 years |
lifetime | Since the account was created | Unlimited |
Daily Period (day)
- Each data point is one day
- Available for the last 30 days
- Useful for analyzing short-term trends
Weekly Period (week)
- Data is grouped by week
- Available for 2 years
- Well suited for week-over-week comparisons
28-Day Period (days_28)
- A rolling 28-day period
- Available for 2 years
- Smooths out daily fluctuations, shows stable trends
Lifetime
- Aggregated data for all time
- Does not require since/until
- Useful for the overall picture
Time Zone
Instagram Insights uses UTC for all data. This means:
- Day boundaries are determined by UTC, not local time
- Data for "yesterday" in your time zone may correspond to "today" in UTC
- When comparing with Meta Ads, account for the time zone difference (Meta Ads uses account time, Instagram uses UTC)
Data Lag
Instagram Insights data updates with a significant delay:
| Period | Delay | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Today | Not available | The API does not return data for the current day |
| Yesterday | 24-48 hours | Partial data |
| 2-3 days ago | 48 hours | May be incomplete |
| 4+ days ago | Stable | Recommended for reports |
Key difference from Meta Ads: Instagram Insights does not provide near-real-time data. The minimum delay is 24 hours.
Date Format
All dates in API requests and responses use the YYYY-MM-DD format:
2026-07-25Recommendations
- For daily reports, use data from the day before yesterday — it's the most up to date
- For trend analysis, use days_28 — it smooths out noise
- When comparing with other sources — account for time zone and lag differences
- Plan your reporting — weekend data may not be available until Tuesday