Privacy Policy

Overview

Instant is a free Instagram reels downloader. It is designed with privacy in mind — there are no user accounts and no advertising SDKs. Reel resolution and download both happen entirely on your device by talking directly to Instagram's public endpoints; no media you download, and no reel URL, ever passes through an Instant-controlled server. To help us understand which features are used and fix problems, Instant collects anonymous, aggregated usage analytics through Mixpanel — described in detail below.

Data Collection

We do not collect personal data. Specifically:

• No personal information (name, email, phone number, etc.) is collected
• No advertising identifiers are used
• No cookies are used
• No account is ever created
• The reels you download, the links you paste, and the files saved on your device are never sent to us

We do collect anonymous usage analytics. To understand which features people use and to find and fix bugs, Instant sends anonymous, aggregated event data to Mixpanel, a third-party analytics provider. This includes:

• Which in-app actions occur (e.g. that a download started, completed, or failed; that the bubble was enabled; that the app language changed) and non-identifying details about them such as the platform (Instagram) and format (video or audio)
• Basic device and app information automatically added by the Mixpanel SDK — app version, operating-system version, device model, and a randomly generated install identifier that is not linked to your real identity
• Your approximate, city-level location, which Mixpanel derives from your IP address. The IP address itself is not retained by Instant

We never send the reel URLs you paste, the media you download, the contents of your files, or any account credentials to Mixpanel or anywhere else.

Network Requests

Instant makes the following kinds of outbound network requests:

• Reel resolution requeststo Instagram's public endpoints (e.g. i.instagram.com, www.instagram.com) to fetch the public metadata for the link you pasted, shared, or copied. These requests are unauthenticated and contain no Instant-side identifiers. Your IP address is unavoidably visible to Instagram for any HTTPS request — the same as if you opened the reel in a browser.
• Media download requeststo the Instagram CDN host that the resolution response points to, used to stream the video, audio, or image bytes to your device's app-scoped storage.
• Version check — a periodic request to adewaskar.com to determine whether a new version of the app is available. The request contains no body data and no identifiers; your IP address is transmitted by virtue of any HTTPS connection but is not logged, stored, or used for analytics.
• Analytics events sent to Mixpanel (api.mixpanel.com), carrying the anonymous usage data described in the Data Collection section above. These are batched and sent in the background.

Beyond these call types, Instant does not communicate with any external server. No reel URL, no resolved media URL, and no media bytes ever pass through an Instant-controlled server or are sent to any analytics provider.

Permissions

Instant requests the minimum Android permissions it needs. With the exception of the network requests described above, no data obtained through these permissions is ever transmitted off your device:

• Internet (INTERNET, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE) — Used for the network requests listed above, including the anonymous analytics events sent to Mixpanel.
• Foreground Service (FOREGROUND_SERVICE, FOREGROUND_SERVICE_DATA_SYNC)— Used to keep the download running while the app is backgrounded so a video doesn't stop mid-way through.
• Post Notifications (POST_NOTIFICATIONS)— Used to show download progress and a tap-to-play notification when a download finishes. You can deny this permission and the app will still work; you just won't see system notifications.
• Biometric (USE_BIOMETRIC)— Optional, off by default. Used only if you turn on "Unlock with fingerprint" in Settings → Security. Authentication is handled entirely by Android's system BiometricPrompt; Instant never sees your fingerprint or face data.
• Display Over Other Apps (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW) — Optional, off by default. Granted only if you turn on the floating Instant bubble in Settings. Used to draw the bubble + format-chooser popup over Instagram so you can save a reel without leaving the app.
• Usage Access (PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS)— Optional, off by default. Granted only if you turn on the bubble. Used to detect when Instagram is in the foreground so the bubble only appears while you're actually in Instagram. The list of foreground app package names is processed locally and never leaves your device.

Downloaded Files

Downloads are written to Instant's app-scoped external storage (/Android/data/com.adewaskar.instant/files/Movies/Instant and the equivalent Music / Pictures folders). These files are visible only to Instant and to you via a file manager. Other apps cannot read them.

When you tap "Save to Gallery" on a download tile or on the completion notification, Instant copies the file into your device's shared MediaStore so the system Gallery app can index it. This is the only time a downloaded file leaves Instant's sandbox, and it only happens on your explicit action.

Uninstalling Instant removes the app-scoped folder and everything in it. Files you promoted to the gallery remain in your gallery — they are now owned by the OS, not by Instant.

Local Storage

Instant stores minimal preferences locally on your device:

• Selected app language (SharedPreferences)
• Whether the app lock is enabled (SharedPreferences)
• Per-platform bubble toggles (DataStore)
• An in-memory list of recent downloads that is rebuilt from the file system on each launch

None of this data is synced, backed up to a cloud service, or transmitted anywhere. It is removed when you uninstall the app.

Third-Party Services

Instant uses one third-party service: Mixpanel, for the anonymous usage analytics described above. Mixpanel processes this data on our behalf so we can understand feature usage and fix bugs; refer to their privacy policy for how they handle it. Instant includes no advertising or tracking-for-advertising SDKs.

The Instagram endpoints we contact for resolution and download are Instagram's own — please refer to Instagram's Privacy Policy for information about how Instagram handles requests to its public endpoints.

Copyright & Content Rights

Instant is a personal utility for saving content you have the right to keep. Please respect the intellectual property rights of content creators — downloading and redistributing third-party content without permission may violate copyright law and Instagram's terms of use. Instant has no way to enforce these rules; the responsibility lies entirely with the user.

Children's Privacy

Instant does not collect personal information from anyone, including children under the age of 13. The anonymous usage analytics described above are not tied to any real-world identity and are not used to build profiles of individual users.

Your Rights (GDPR / CCPA)

Instant does not collect data that identifies you personally. The analytics data that leaves your device is anonymous and tied only to a randomly generated install identifier, never to your name, email, or any account (there are no user accounts) — so there is no personal data to access, rectify, port, or delete. Uninstalling Instant stops all further analytics collection.

Changes to This Policy

If we update this privacy policy, we will post the new version on this page with an updated date. Since Instant does not collect any contact information, we cannot notify you directly of changes — please check this page periodically.

Affiliation Disclaimer

Instant is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Instagram or Meta Platforms, Inc. All product names, trademarks, and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at [email protected].