Explore importing ski videos from Instagram Reels

[kmch4n]

Summary

Explore whether SnowLog could support importing ski / snowboard videos from Instagram Reels, or at least provide a smoother path for bringing Reel content into the app.

Motivation

Some users may record or repost skiing clips through Instagram before they are organized locally. If those clips could be brought into SnowLog more easily, it would reduce friction when preserving or reviewing videos that currently live in social media workflows.

Important constraint

This idea may not be fully feasible as a direct integration.

Instagram content access is constrained by platform capabilities, authentication rules, app-review policies, and terms-of-service considerations. A direct "paste Reel URL and import the video" flow may be unsupported or risky depending on what APIs and share surfaces are actually allowed.

Goal of this issue

This issue is intentionally exploratory. The first goal is not to commit to a direct Instagram integration, but to evaluate what realistic import paths exist.

Candidate approaches to investigate

1. Share-sheet based import
   • If Instagram exposes a share/export path that hands a Reel video file or URL to another app, SnowLog could receive that via a native share target or app-extension style flow.
2. Import after saving to Photos
   • If users first save the Reel to the device photo library, SnowLog may only need clearer guidance or a faster import path from recently saved videos.
3. Link/reference-only workflow
   • If direct video import is not practical, SnowLog could store a Reel link or note alongside a session as a fallback.
4. No integration
   • After investigation, the conclusion may be that direct Reel import is not viable or not worth the maintenance / policy risk.

Open questions

• Can Instagram actually hand off Reel media to third-party apps in a way SnowLog can consume reliably?
• Would a direct integration require unsupported scraping or violate platform policies?
• Is there a lightweight user flow that captures most of the value without a formal Instagram integration?
• How would metadata quality compare with normal photo-library imports (capture date, GPS, filename, duration)?

Notes

• SnowLog's current import model is photo-library centric and relies on local media access plus metadata extraction.
• Reel-originated videos may lack the EXIF / GPS metadata that SnowLog normally uses for resort detection and timeline organization.
• Even if implemented, this would likely be an optional convenience flow rather than a core import path.

Acceptance criteria

• Investigate whether importing from Instagram Reels is technically and policy-wise feasible.
• Document the most realistic integration path, if any.
• If direct support is not viable, explicitly close the issue with the conclusion and rationale.
• If a viable path exists, split implementation into follow-up issues with a concrete scope.