The My networks page (/dashboard/activity/networks, in Personal activity in the sidebar) posts your releases to Facebook and Instagram for you: when you upload a YouTube video or start a Twitch live, Dispatch.IO posts a message on your Facebook Page, a post or a story on your Instagram account.
It is a feature of your Dispatch.IO account, not of a server: it is the same whether you browse on Discord, Fluxer or Stoat, and it changes nothing to the YouTube / Twitch alerts the bot posts in your servers (see Social networks and RSS).
An account signed in with Facebook only can use it too.
Note
The page only appears once the feature is open on the website.
Facebook sign-in and the accounts linked here: two different things
Signing in to Dispatch.IO with Facebook (or the Instagram button, which goes through Facebook) only identifies you: it links neither your Page nor your Instagram account for posting. The Facebook and Instagram accounts on this page are linked separately, with Link Facebook and Link Instagram, and ask for posting permissions. You can use one without the other, and they don't have to be the same Facebook account. See Sign-in and account.
1. Add your channels
Your relays' sources are managed in My channels. Any public YouTube or Twitch channel can be a source: no Google or Twitch sign-in is needed.
- Pick YouTube or Twitch.
- In Channel link or name, paste the channel's link or name:
- YouTube:
youtube.com/@name,youtube.com/channel/UC…,youtube.com/user/name,youtube.com/c/name,@name,nameor theUC…id; - Twitch:
twitch.tv/loginor just the login.
- YouTube:
- Click Add.
Each added channel shows with its name, avatar and @handle (YouTube) or twitch.tv/login (Twitch). Remove deletes it; the relays that used it stop for it.
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| "Link or name not recognized. …" | The pasted text has none of the shapes above. |
| "Channel not found: check the link or the name." | The link or name is valid but no public channel matches it. |
| "This channel is already one of your sources." | This channel is already in My channels. |
| "Channel limit reached: remove a channel or go Premium to add another one." | You already have your plan's maximum number of channels (see Free and Premium). |
You can run 20 searches per hour; beyond that: "Too many tries: try again in an hour.". The Android app does the same with its Add a channel card.
Warning
Only relay content you have the right to repost: your own channels, or channels whose owner agreed to it.
2. Link Facebook and Instagram
- Link Facebook: sign in with the account that manages your Page and accept the Page permissions. Every Page where you may create content shows up; the Use switch of each Page picks the ones that can receive your relays.
- Link Instagram: sign in with Facebook, pick your business portfolio, then the professional Instagram account(s) (Business or Creator) to use. No Facebook Page needed. A personal account can't post through the API: switch it to a professional account in Instagram's settings, then add it to your business portfolio. The access belongs to your portfolio; if it has an end date, the account turns To reconnect a few days before and you get a notification.
If Facebook or Instagram ever refuses the access (password changed, app removed, rights removed on the Page), the account turns To reconnect, nothing is posted there any more and you get a notification. Reconnect starts the sign-in again.
3. Create a relay
A relay watches your channels and posts to the chosen destinations. New relay opens the editor:
- Name and the On / Paused switch.
- YouTube channel and/or Twitch channel: the sources, among My channels.
- Language of the cards: the language of the Instagram pictures and of the "Link in bio" line.
- Text for a new video and Text for a live start: leave empty to keep the default text. Available variables:
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
{title} | title of the video or live |
{url} | link of the video or of the Twitch channel |
{channel} | name of your channel |
{platform} | YouTube or Twitch |
{game} | game of the live (Twitch) |
- Destinations: for each Page or Instagram account, turn on one or more formats, then the events it receives (New video, Live start).
| Format | Where | What is posted |
|---|---|---|
| Post with link | Facebook Page | your text and the link; Facebook shows the video's preview |
| Post (square card) | a 1080×1080 picture (thumbnail, title, channel) and your text as the caption, followed by "Link in bio." | |
| Story (portrait card) | a 1080×1920 picture, without caption |
Tip
Links are not clickable in an Instagram caption: put your channel's link in your bio.
When you save, the latest video and the live on air are marked as already seen: a relay never posts a video that is already out, only the next ones.
When the post goes out
- YouTube: your channel's public feed is read about every 5 minutes. A video published more than 24 hours ago is never relayed.
- Twitch: your channel is checked about every 90 seconds; a live is posted once, when it starts.
- Each item is posted once per destination. A failed post is retried by the next checks, up to 3 tries.
Test and preview
- Test (next to each destination) really posts, right now, your latest video or your live on air (or a sample when the channel has nothing). Handy to check the rights; you can delete the post afterwards. 5 tests an hour.
- Post preview and Story preview show the exact picture Instagram will receive.
History
The History lists the last 30 posts: date, destination, format, status (Posted, Failed) and, when it failed, the error Meta returned. Tests are marked "test".
Free and Premium
| Free | Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Channels in My channels | 1 | 5 |
| Destinations (all relays together) | 2 | unlimited |
Your account is Premium here as soon as it has an active offer (yours or shared with you, Individual or server pack) on at least one of your linked platforms. See Shop and subscription.
Your data
Facebook and Instagram access is encrypted in Dispatch.IO's database; no Google or Twitch access is asked for or kept: for a channel, only its id, name, avatar and handle are saved. Remove on an account or a channel deletes its data at once (for Instagram it is the only sure way: a deletion request sent from Facebook only finds an Instagram account linked to the same Dispatch.IO account as a Facebook account); deleting a relay erases its history. Everything is detailed in the privacy policy and on the Data deletion page.