In this article, you will learn how to fix Instagram Direct Messages (DM) not working issue.
Life without Instagram would be a pretty big bummer. Seriously, how would we keep up with the adventures of our friends? How would we learn about new products and cool events? Who would we chat with when we’re bored at work?
If you use your Instagram account every day, you know it is crucial to have a good internet connection to use the app. And it’s even more important when it comes to the DM feature of Instagram, which allows you to send and receive direct messages from your contacts. That’s because sending and receiving all those messages takes a considerable amount of bandwidth if used for long hours, and if our favorite social media app isn’t working well, we can’t just sit back and enjoy checking out other people’s pictures and videos.
If you can’t send or receive Instagram DMs, it could be because:
The person you’re trying to message isn’t following you. You can only send a Direct Message to someone if your account is public and have had a conversation with that person before. You can change your account’s privacy settings at any time to allow people who don’t follow you to send you Direct Messages.
If your account is private and someone has sent you a message, but you haven’t replied yet, only then will they see a Request button in the top right corner of the message thread. If they click this button, they’ll be able to send another message without having to follow you.
The person has blocked you. The person has muted your message requests. The person has turned on Message Controls but hasn’t added you as an approved follower. If this is the case, they will be asked if they want to allow messages from you each time they get one instead of receiving it in their inbox.
So if you’ve ever found yourself in a position where you can’t DM or send any messages on your Instagram app for hours at a time, don’t worry! We have got some tips for making sure your Instagram account stays up and running smoothly so that these annoying DM crashes won’t interrupt your daily life.
Related: Instagram Won’t Let Me Post
How To Fix Instagram Direct Messages (DM) Not Working
1. Update Instagram App
If direct messages are not working on Instagram, perhaps because you are using an older version. It is best to update the app to the latest version to fix the issue and other hidden glitches. Go to respective application stores to update the app. Avoid downloading the updates directly from the internet.
2. Check Your Internet Speed
The first thing to check for when using Instagram is to make sure you have good internet speed. Note that Instagram does not work if you do not have an internet connection or are on Wi-Fi with very negligible speed. You can check your internet speed by opening other apps that require an internet connection. If the problem persists, you can turn off your mobile or put it in airplane mode.
Related: Instagram Reels Not Working or Showing
3. User Has Deactivated His Account
If your message recipient has deactivated his account, you can still exchange messages with him. However, you will not be able to see if he has seen your messages. If you are having trouble exchanging texts with someone on Instagram, open their account (from the “Friends” page) to see if they are still active on Instagram. If the account is deactivated, you will encounter an error that says “user not found”. You have to wait for them to reactivate their account to start exchanging messages again.
4. Clear Instagram Stored Cache Files
Clearing the cache can fix the Instagram DM glitch. To do so, open Instagram on your device’s Settings tab, select “Clear Cache,” and exit out of your Instagram app. Then reopen Instagram to confirm that your DM bug has been fixed.
5. You’re Probably Blocked By User
If an Instagram user blocks you, you will not be able to send or receive texts from that person. Plus, conversations you have had with that user will be removed from your conversation list. The first thing you should do when a contact blocks you is to check if they have blocked you by checking their profile. If you are unable to see photos and videos posted by that user, this means that the person has blocked you and that’s why you can’t receive and access messages. Don’t worry! the problem is not on your end, and you can still exchange messages with other users.
6. Reach Out To Instagram Support Team
The methods above will resolve the most common Instagram issues; however, if they do not work on your device, you should contact Instagram’s customer support team to fix the error. If you cannot fix the issue yourself, you can contact them at help.instagram.com. They are available by email and text messages. However, to expedite their response time, be ready to provide as much information as possible, including a clear and detailed description of the problem and any related troubleshooting steps that were performed.
Related: Add Yours Sticker Not Working on Instagram
Conclusion: So, these are the tips to fix Instagram Direct Messages (DM) not showing the problems. One of the aforementioned methods should suffice to solve the issue. However, if none of them works, it’s better to reach out to the Instagram Support Team for further help.
