How Archive Updates Engagement Metrics
Archive doesn't update likes and other engagement metrics in real time. Instead, it uses a virality-based refresh system that adjusts how often a post gets checked depending on how much engagement it's still getting.
Here's how the cadence generally works:
About 2 hours after a post is published, Archive does an initial refresh of engagement data.
After that, updates happen at most once per day, and only if the post continues to receive significant engagement based on its virality score.
If the system determines the content is no longer trending, it will slow down the frequency of updates and increase the time between checks.
This is expected behavior, not a bug. Archive processes 3–4 million pieces of content per week, so it's not feasible to check every post daily for months.
You can see the "last refreshed" timestamp directly on a post in Archive. There's also a manual Refresh Metrics button you can use to trigger an update outside the normal schedule.
Why Likes Might Show as Zero or Outdated: Hidden Likes
One of the most common reasons a post's like count looks wrong in Archive is that the creator has hidden their likes on Instagram.
When likes are hidden, Instagram doesn't expose the actual like count via its API. When this happens, Archive falls back to follower-based estimates instead of using real engagement data, which is why the number might look significantly lower than expected, or appear as zero.
How to check if likes are hidden on Instagram:
Open the post directly on Instagram (mobile app or browser)
Try to tap or click on the like count below the post
If you see "Others" instead of a number, or if there's no visible like count at all, likes are hidden
You can also go to the post's settings (three dots > "Hide like count") to see if it's toggled on
What you can do:
If a creator unhides their likes, Archive will pull the actual engagement data on the next scheduled refresh, so the numbers will correct themselves automatically.
Does This Happen on TikTok Too?
No — hidden likes work differently on TikTok.
Unlike Instagram, the TikTok calculator in Archive doesn't receive or use a hidden flag at all. TikTok view counts and engagement data are stored as-is from the TikTok API. There's no code path in Archive that would reduce or zero out a TikTok post's metrics because of hidden likes.
For TikTok, EMV is calculated using view count only, which is the industry standard for the platform. So if you're seeing a discrepancy on a TikTok post, it's more likely due to refresh timing or TikTok occasionally returning different values from their API — not a hidden likes issue.