How to Connect Facebook Messenger & Instagram?
Your customers already message you on Facebook and Instagram. Messaging Channels connects those accounts to Rentablez so incoming direct messages arrive in the app, and your team can reply without switching between the Facebook Page inbox, the Instagram app, and your rental system. Connecting is a one-click flow through Facebook’s secure sign-in — no copy-pasting tokens required.
Why Connect Your Social Accounts?
- One inbox — Messenger and Instagram DMs show up alongside your other customer conversations instead of scattered across apps.
- Faster replies — your staff answer enquiries in Rentablez while they have order and asset details on hand.
- Secure by design — you authorize the connection through Facebook itself, and you can disconnect any channel at any time.
Where to find it: Go to Settings → Integrations → Messaging Channels. You need the Meta Chat Settings permission to connect, disconnect, or reconnect a channel. If you don’t see the connect buttons, ask your administrator to grant that permission.
Before You Start
A few things Facebook requires for the connection to work:
- You must manage at least one Facebook Page — Messenger connects to a Page, not to a personal profile.
- For Instagram, your account must be a Business or Creator account that is linked to a Facebook Page (you set this up in your Instagram account settings).
- Your browser must allow pop-ups for Rentablez, because the Facebook sign-in opens in a pop-up window.
Connect Facebook Messenger
Step 1: Start the connection
On the Messaging Channels page, click Connect Messenger. A Facebook sign-in window opens.
Step 2: Sign in and authorize
Log in to Facebook (if you aren’t already) and approve the permissions Rentablez requests to read and reply to Page messages. The window closes automatically when you finish.
Step 3: Pick a Page (if you manage more than one)
- If you manage a single Facebook Page, Rentablez connects it automatically and shows a success message.
- If you manage multiple Pages, a “Which page do you want to connect?” picker appears. Select the Page you want, then click Connect.
Once connected, the Page appears in the Connected Channels list with a green Connected badge.
Connect Instagram
Step 1: Start the connection
Click Connect Instagram. The same Facebook sign-in window opens — Instagram business messaging is authorized through Facebook.
Step 2: Sign in and authorize
Sign in and approve the requested permissions. Rentablez then looks for Instagram Business accounts linked to your Facebook Pages.
Step 3: Pick an account (if you have more than one)
If a single eligible Instagram account is found, it connects automatically. If several are found, choose the one you want and click Connect.
“No Instagram Business accounts found”? This means your Instagram account isn’t set up as a Business or Creator account linked to a Facebook Page. Open your Instagram settings, switch to a Business/Creator account, connect it to a Facebook Page, then try again.
What “Connected” Looks Like
Every linked account appears as a card in the Connected Channels list, showing:
| Detail | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Account name | The Page or Instagram account you connected |
| Channel | Whether it’s a Messenger or Instagram channel |
| Status badge | Connected (active) or Disconnected (paused) |
| Connected date | When the channel was first linked |
Disconnect or Reconnect a Channel
To stop receiving messages from a channel, click Disconnect on its card. A confirmation appears explaining that this stops incoming messages and that you can reconnect anytime — click Disconnect to confirm.
A disconnected channel stays in the list with a Disconnected badge. To turn it back on, click Reconnect on that card.
Disconnecting only pauses the channel in Rentablez — it does not remove Rentablez’s access on the Facebook side. To fully revoke access, remove the app from your Facebook Business settings.
Reading & Replying to Messages
Connecting a channel routes messages into Rentablez, but you read and reply to them from the Meta Chat inbox, not from this Settings page. Once a channel is connected, head to the Meta Chat section to see conversations and respond to customers.
Note: Only Facebook Messenger and Instagram can be connected today. WhatsApp is not yet available as a self-serve channel.