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Links sent through ManyChat DM automations open in the Instagram in app browser and lose conversions. Here is how to make them open the native app instead. Free, no code.
5 min
TL;DR. A link sent inside an Instagram DM opens in Instagram's in app browser, exactly like a bio link. So the automation that felt like a win still drops people at the last step. Paste an OpenUp deeplink into your ManyChat flow instead of the raw URL and the same message opens the native app. No code, works with any flow, free to start.
DM automation solved the hard part, which is getting a conversation started at scale. The link at the end of that conversation is where the results are quietly lost.
Why DM links have the same problem as bio links
People assume the in app browser is a bio link issue. It is not. Any link opened from inside Instagram goes through the same webview, including the one your automation sends after someone comments a keyword. Your subscriber taps, lands signed out, and the sign up, the purchase or the download becomes harder than it needed to be.
The frustrating part is that DM traffic is your warmest traffic. These people raised their hand. Losing them at the browser is more expensive than losing a cold click.
How to fix it in your existing flow
Take the destination you currently send in your automation, such as your course, your shop, your booking page, your Discord invite or your WhatsApp chat.
Paste it into the free deeplink generator on OpenUp.to.
Give it a short custom slug so it reads cleanly inside a DM, where long links look like spam.
Replace the raw URL in your ManyChat flow with the OpenUp link.
Test the flow on your own phone from inside Instagram, not from a desktop browser, because the desktop test will never reproduce the problem.
Nothing else in your automation changes. Same trigger, same message, same audience.
Why the link text matters in a DM
In a bio, people expect a link. In a DM, a long messy URL reads as a scam and lowers tap rate. A short link with a custom slug, or a custom domain on paid plans, looks deliberate and gets tapped more. That is a second, smaller lift on top of the browser fix.
What to measure
Look at the click stats on the link and compare them with what happens downstream. Since the only thing you changed is where the link opens, a lift in sign ups or sales over the following two weeks is a fair read on the fix.
Before and after
For someone who taps your DM link | Raw URL | OpenUp deeplink |
|---|---|---|
Opens in | Instagram in app browser | Native app or real browser |
Signed in | No | Yes |
Link looks like | A long URL | Your short branded link |
Completion of the action | Harder | Easier |
Works the same in other DM tools
The behaviour is not specific to ManyChat. Any tool that sends a link inside an Instagram or Facebook DM hits the same browser, so the same fix applies wherever your automation lives.
The bottom line
You built the automation to shorten the distance between attention and action. The in app browser puts that distance back in at the final step. Swapping the URL for a deeplink takes a minute and applies to every message your flow has ever sent from that point on.
Frequently asked questions
Does this change how ManyChat works? No. You only replace the URL inside your flow.
Will the link still work if the app is not installed? Yes, it falls back to the web.
Can I use it for WhatsApp or Discord destinations? Yes, both are supported.
Is it free? Yes to start.
How do I test it properly? Open your own automation from inside the Instagram app on a phone.
Last updated: September 2026. Written by the OpenUp.to team.
Internal links deeplink generator, short link, whatsapp-link-app, bypass-instagram-in-app-browser
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