FYI: This seems to be no longer undetected

[Manuel-Materazzo]

Context: I've been using GramAddict for more than 6 months now, 4 months since i last touched the configs. I currently have 2 accounts: One on a real device on my home wi-fi, and one on a para-virtualized device on a datacenter. I don't use instagram, i only let 2 instances of the bot use the accounts, and it usually runs around 2 hours once or twice a day for likes on hastags recents and feed (no follow-unfolow, no commenting, no private messages, no hashtag or place likers interaction). I have edited the bot in order to never go on the profile page and never refresh the feed (seemed kind of unnatural to me), i've also added a check that if the post has above 200-300 likes, it has only 20-30% of liking it.

Everything went fine until around 4th of April, when i recived a 10ish days soft ban on the account with the real device; the message stated something like "you shared your account with a service to increase likes". At first i thought that buffer.com (meta authorized post schedule service) messed up something, so i stopped the auto posting and kept the bot running as usual to emulate natural behaviour (i edited it again to skip the liking action and only watch posts), but after the ban was over, one simple normal bot run got the account soft-banned again.

The account on the para-virtualized device was fine until April the 13th, when i got a soft ban there too, but without the popup message when i try to like something.

I'll share my configs:

config.yml

##############################################################################
# General Configuration
##############################################################################

username: redacted
# device: put_your_device_id_there
app-id: com.instagram.android
use-cloned-app: false
screen-sleep: false
screen-record: false
speed-multiplier: 1.1
debug: false
close-apps: false
disable-block-detection: false
disable-filters: false
dont-type: false
# scrape-to-file: scraped.txt
total-crashes-limit: 5
count-app-crashes: false
shuffle-jobs: true
truncate-sources: 2-5

##############################################################################
# Custom
##############################################################################
enable-likes: true
enable-profile-refresh: false
go-to-profile: false
set-min-brightness: true
max-post-likers: 200-300
max-post-likers-slippage: 20-30
likes-in-a-single-profile-limit: 10-15


##############################################################################
# Actions
##############################################################################

## Interaction (active jobs)
# blogger-followers: [ username1, username2 ]
# blogger-following: [ username1, username2 ]
# blogger-post-likers: [ username1, username2 ]
# blogger: [ username1, username2 ]
# hashtag-likers-top: [ hashtag1, hashtag2 ]
# hashtag-likers-recent: [ hashtag1, hashtag2 ]
# hashtag-posts-top: [ hashtag1, hashtag2 ]
hashtag-posts-recent: [ artdaily, sketch, pencildrawing, ballpointpenart, sketchdaily, drawingoftheday, drawingchallenge, drawthisinyourstyle, draweveryday, sketchbookdrawings, worldofartists, artshare ]
# place-posts-top: [ place1, place2 ]
# place-posts-recent: [ place1, place2 ]
# place-likers-top: [ place1, place2 ]
# place-likers-recent: [ place1, place2 ]
# interact-from-file: [usernames1.txt 10-15, usernames2.txt 3]
# posts-from-file: posts.txt
feed: 5-20 # is the number of likes you will give in feed

## Special modifier for jobs and sources
watch-video-time: 6-20
watch-photo-time: 1-5
# can-reinteract-after: 48 # the amount of hours that have to pass from the last interaction
delete-interacted-users: true

## Unfollow (unfollow jobs)
# unfollow: 10-20
# unfollow-any: 10-20
# unfollow-non-followers: 10-20
# unfollow-any-non-followers: 10-20
# unfollow-any-followers: 10-20
# unfollow-from-file: [usernames1.txt 7-15, usernames2.txt 6]

## Special modifier for unfollow jobs
# sort-followers-newest-to-oldest: false
# unfollow-delay: 15

## Remove followers (active jobs)
# remove-followers-from-file: [remove1.txt 5-10, remove2.txt 6]

## Special modifier for remove followers
delete-removed-followers: true

## Post Processing
# analytics: false # no more supported
telegram-reports: true # for using telegram-reports you have also to configure telegram.yml in your account folder

## Special actions
# pre-script: pre_script_path_here
# post-script: post_script_path_here

##############################################################################
# Source Limits
##############################################################################

interactions-count: 5-60
likes-count: 1-4
likes-percentage: 70
stories-count: 1-5
stories-percentage: 30-40
carousel-count: 2-3
carousel-percentage: 60-70
# max-comments-pro-user: 1-2
# comment-percentage: 30-40
# pm-percentage: 30-40
interact-percentage: 60-80
# follow-percentage: 30-40
# follow-limit: 50
skipped-list-limit: 10-15
skipped-posts-limit: 5
fling-when-skipped: 0
# min-following: 100

##############################################################################
# Total Limits Per Session
##############################################################################

total-likes-limit: 100-160
total-follows-limit: 40-50
total-unfollows-limit: 40-50
total-watches-limit: 120-150
total-successful-interactions-limit: 30-40
total-interactions-limit: 40-55
total-comments-limit: 3-5
total-pm-limit: 3-5
total-scraped-limit: 100-150

##############################################################################
# Ending Session Conditions
##############################################################################

end-if-likes-limit-reached: true
end-if-follows-limit-reached: false
end-if-watches-limit-reached: false
end-if-comments-limit-reached: false
end-if-pm-limit-reached: false

##############################################################################
# Scheduling
##############################################################################

working-hours: [08.01-11.59, 14.00-17.59]
time-delta: 0
repeat: 300-480
total-sessions: 1 # -1 or commented for infinite sessions

[rjsop]

Similar experience, did you stop all together, or is it back to running normally?

[codeclinic]

You need to reduce the number of likes / follows / unfollows that you do per session and have longer periods between each session. I'd also make sure that key values use a range so that the interactions look more natural.

[Manuel-Materazzo]

You need to reduce the number of likes / follows / unfollows that you do per session and have longer periods between each session. I'd also make sure that key values use a range so that the interactions look more natural.

As stated the bot used to run once or twice randomly for 2 hours every day on random working hours. The config also had ranges, a max of 100-160 likes and no follows, and i added another layer of randomness with random posts skip and by checking if the post has more than 200-300 likes and liking it with a 20-30% probability. The bot speed matched mine while scrolling.

I think i was being more than cautious...

Similar experience, did you stop all together, or is it back to running normally?

After this, i've done manual account growing for a couple of months. I was manually exceeding by far the bot's like limit with no issues, but just one run of gramaddict got me always reliably soft banned within 10 minutes. The issue seems to be related to metrics like swipe patterns, device orientation, network name etc. I now have my private fork of gramaddict and para-virtualized image with more "realistic" data, so far so good.

[cegees]

Is a 2hr block, strictly 2hrs no less, not abnormal use? especially 1-2/day. Most real people compulsively check phone or use it for shorter periods. I wonder if algo also checks to see if there any pattern to ones liking behaviors, or at least compares liking behaviors, which can probably be very telling.

[Manuel-Materazzo]

Is a 2hr block, strictly 2hrs no less, not abnormal use? especially 1-2/day. Most real people compulsively check phone or use it for shorter periods. I wonder if algo also checks to see if there any pattern to ones liking behaviors, or at least compares liking behaviors, which can probably be very telling.

2hrs is an average of the time it takes to do the 100-160 likes, not a hard limit. I'd say it usually takes anywhere between 1,5 to 2,2 hours. You are correct, usually people binge-swipe for a while on instagram and get bored, but you have to keep into account social media managers and "company" profiles that are active 8hrs/day. I guess everyone here falls into that category and was doing manual account management (myself included), i don't see why i should automate my personal account. I guess also liking behaviour matters to a certain degree, to provide insight on my situation: my account on the real device (first to get soft-banned) was manually managed before, while the account on the para-virtualized device was born and always used by automation.

[rjsop]

I have my own private build as well that uses sqlite instead of the json files. please hit me up at [email protected]. I would love to talk more about "realistic data" as this is a battle that never ends. Thanks!