Explainers
Public vs private Instagram accounts
· 3 min read
Instagram gives every account a privacy choice. That choice decides what tools like Vista can show.
Public accounts
Anyone can see posts, and often related public surfaces such as reels or highlights, depending on the account and Instagram’s rules. These are the only accounts Vista targets.
Private accounts
Only approved followers see the feed. Follow requests sit pending until the owner accepts. Vista will not attempt to bypass that boundary.
Why the distinction matters
Respecting private settings protects users and keeps your product on the right side of platform policies. If you need access to someone’s private content, the legitimate path is a follow request—not a viewer.