Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 22, 2026

How Instappa handles submitted URLs, analytics, ads, bot protection, and the optional Chrome extension.

Overview

Instappa (instappa.com) provides free tools to resolve downloadable media from public social media URLs. This policy explains what information is collected when you use the site, how it is used, and which third-party services are involved.

We do not require account registration to use the downloader.

Information you provide

When you use a downloader page, you may submit:

Submitted URLs are processed to return temporary download links. We do not use submitted URLs to build a personal profile or sell URL history to third parties.

Information collected automatically

When you visit Instappa, standard web and security data may be processed, including:

Our API applies per-IP rate limits to protect service availability. Rate-limit state is stored temporarily and is not linked to a named user account.

Cookies and local storage

Instappa and its service providers may use cookies or similar technologies to:

Instappa does not currently serve advertising, and no advertising cookies are set. If advertising is introduced in future, this policy will be updated before it goes live and third parties, including Google and other advertising providers, may then place and read cookies on your browser or use web beacons or similar identifiers when ads are served.

You can limit cookies through your browser settings. Blocking certain cookies may prevent the downloader from working because bot verification and session tokens rely on them.

Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland see a cookie choice on first visit: Accept enables analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4 via Google Consent Mode), or Essential only continues without them, and no analytics cookies are set until you choose. Elsewhere, including when your location cannot be determined, analytics cookies are on by default. Everyone can change their choice anytime via Cookie settings in the site footer; Essential only turns analytics off. Your preference is stored in local storage on this device (instappa_consent_v1). Advertising signals stay off for everyone.

Advertising

Instappa does not currently show advertising. No ad code runs on any page and no advertising cookies are set. The disclosures below describe what would apply if advertising were introduced, and are kept here so the terms are visible in advance.

If ads are enabled in future, third-party vendors including Google may use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website or other websites, which would enable Google and its advertising partners to serve ads based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.

You can opt out of personalized advertising across the web at any time by visiting Google Ads Settings or YourAdChoices. For more information about how Google uses data from sites that use its services, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.

Third-party services

We use the following categories of third-party providers:

Media files themselves are fetched from the originating platform or its CDNs when you open a download link. Instappa does not permanently host your downloaded videos on our servers.

Browser extension

The Instappa Chrome extension is a separate client that talks to api.instappa.com using an install-scoped session. When you install it, the extension generates a random install identifier stored in Chrome local storage and exchanges it for a short-lived access token. That identifier is used for rate limiting and monthly quota — not for building an advertising profile.

The extension may process:

The extension is limited to public Instagram content. Private or login-walled media is refused. It does not use the Chrome cookies permission, does not read Instagram login cookies (including sessionid), does not require an Instagram account, and does not sell your download history.

Pro features (when purchased) still follow the public-only rule:

You can clear extension data or remove the extension in Chrome settings at any time.

Giveaway picker

When you use the giveaway picker, we read the public comments on the post you link, through a third-party data provider, and send them to your browser so the draw can run there. The usernames and comment text of the people who commented pass through our servers for the length of that request. We do not store the comments, the list of entrants or the winner, and the result of the draw stays in your browser. We count how many draws are run and how many comments were read, without their content, to operate the tool and limit abuse.

Paid full draws. If you pay for a full draw of a post, the payment is handled by our payment processor, Mintage Pay, on its own checkout page. We do not see or store your card, bank or wallet details. We receive the payment's status, its amount and a reference for it, and keep these with the post's link as the record of the sale. Because a full read takes longer than one request, we store the post's public comments (usernames, comment text and dates) on our server while it is read, so the draw can be run again from the link you are returned to. They are deleted 7 days after the read, when the paid draw ends. The draw itself still runs in your browser, and we do not store the winner. Your browser keeps a reference to the paid draw (in local storage) so you can find it again from the post's link for those 7 days.

On a post over the free limit, the picker may offer to notify you when paid full draws open. If you choose to leave your email address there, we store it with the price you were shown, a short code for the post and the date. We use it only to write to you once, when paid full draws open. We delete it after that message is sent, and in any case within 180 days. We do not add it to a mailing list or share it. To have it deleted sooner, email the address below.

Data retention

An email address left on the giveaway picker is kept as described in the Giveaway picker section: until the one message is sent, and no longer than 180 days. The comments read for a paid full draw are deleted 7 days after the read; the record of the payment is kept for our accounts.

URL resolution data is handled transiently for the purpose of returning download links. Analytics and security logs are retained only as long as needed for operations, abuse prevention, and aggregated reporting — typically on rolling windows defined by each provider's standard retention settings.

We do not sell your personal information.

Children's privacy

Instappa is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the site, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

International visitors

Instappa is operated from the United States. If you access the site from another country, your information may be processed in the U.S. or in regions where our providers operate.

Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete certain personal information. Because we do not operate user accounts, most requests relate to analytics or communication records held by our providers.

For privacy questions or requests, email hanska@instappa.com.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our tools, providers, or legal requirements change. The “Last updated” date at the top will reflect the latest revision. Continued use of Instappa after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.