A verified social media account is necessary if you operate a business or are well-known in a particular circle. It’s a mark that indicates the account is authentic and given the trolling potential of social media, it’s necessary. Most social media sites reserve a verified account for celebrities or users with a high follower/like count. It’s easier to get a verified Twitter account than it is to get a verified Facebook account or page. Instagram has introduced verified accounts and the process is simple enough that anyone can, in theory, get a verified Instagram account.
Make sure you’re running the latest version of the Instagram app. You can request a verified account on both iOS and Android. You must have a valid form of picture ID available on hand, or a picture of it on your phone.
Open the Instagram app and go to the Profile tab. On the Profile tab, tap the gear icon or tap the hamburger icon (whichever is applicable to your app version). If you have the hamburger icon, tapping it will open a drawer which will, at the bottom, have a Settings gear icon that you have to tap.
On the Settings screen, tap the Request Verification option.
On the Request Verification screen, you must enter your full name. It doesn’t say so but it’s a good idea to enter your name exactly as it appears on the ID you intend to use. Make sure the spelling matches.
Next, you need to attach a photo ID. Tap the Choose File option and pick a photo of the ID from your camera roll, or if you have the ID on hand, you can take a photo of it. Once you’ve added the file, tap the Send button.
There is no time frame on how long Instagram will take to verify your account. There are also no details on how it will verify if the ID you’ve uploaded is authentic or not, and how it will verify their authenticity for different countries. It claims to accept different types of ID e.g., driving licenses and state issued IDs so the app has its work cut out for it.
We should mention that while anyone can request a verified account, there is no guarantee that they will get it. The process, and the requirements for a verified Instagram account are simple enough for any user but it wouldn’t be right to assume that everyone can get a verified account.
It is worth mentioning though that for fighting trolls, this is possibly the best way to go about it.
