Instagram analytics: crossposted Reels views (crossposted_views, facebook_views)

Job story: When an Instagram Reel is also shared to Facebook, I want /v1/analytics to return its Facebook plays and its combined Instagram + Facebook plays, so I can show my users the same view count the Instagram app shows them.

Problem: For a Reel shared to Facebook, the Instagram app’s view counter adds together plays from both apps. /v1/analytics returns only Meta’s views metric, which counts plays on Instagram only. Facebook plays often far outnumber Instagram plays, so the number we show can be many times lower than the Instagram app’s. For example, the API returns about 150 while the app shows about 5,000. Users see that gap and conclude our analytics are broken.

The Facebook copy is synced as its own post on the Facebook account, but nothing in the response links it to the Instagram Reel. The two posts’ platformPostIds share nothing either. So we can’t reliably combine the two ourselves.

Meta added two Instagram Media Insights metrics for this on 3 Dec 2025 (Instagram Platform changelog):

• facebook_views: plays on Facebook, including Facebook recommending the Reel. Returns an error when the media isn’t shared to Facebook.

• crossposted_views (Reels only): plays added up across Instagram and Facebook. Returns an error when the media isn’t shared to Facebook.

Frequency: Every Reel posted with “Share to Facebook” turned on, which is the default for many accounts that have a linked Page. On the accounts we checked, most Reels were crossposted. Native-app tools already show these numbers. Sprout Social shows “Crossposted Reels Views” and “Facebook Reels Views”.

Current workaround: We match the Instagram Reel to the Facebook post published within a minute or two of it. That’s guesswork: captions are often edited per platform, and nothing confirms the two posts are the same Reel.

Desired outcome: For Instagram Reels in GET /v1/analytics (single post and list) and in /v1/analytics/post-timeline:

• the analytics include facebookViews and crosspostedViews;

• both are null when the Reel isn’t shared to Facebook, rather than 0 or an error.

A field linking the Reel to the Facebook post Zernio already syncs, such as that post’s ID, would also help. We’re open to other shapes. Boost-inclusive total_views is a separate request already on the board, so it isn’t part of this one.