If your Instagram DM not working in 2023, here we explain why Instagram DM is not working and how to fix Instagram DM errors. Over 1.2 billion people use Instagram. However, some users worldwide are having trouble receiving and sending messages on both the app and Facebook Messenger.
According to multiple complaints from users on social media platforms, there is an issue with Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct Messaging where users’ messages disappear after they are delivered. The problem has existed for more than 12 hours and has not been resolved.
The issue of Instagram DM not working in 2023 was also spotted by DownDetector, which revealed significant spikes (downs) for Instagram as of yesterday. Users around the world are concerned about the issue which appears to be nationwide. Similar issues have been addressed by DownDetector with Facebook Messenger lately.
According to DownDetector, the initial spike in complaints logged on July 5 began at exactly 8 p.m. Around 11pm, over 1200 people reported having a similar problem with Instagram. Although things seemed to be getting better by 5 am on July 6, the number of complaints had risen again, indicating nothing had changed.
The problem with Instagram and Facebook Messenger worries the billions of users of the services who log in and out frequently throughout the day. Also, the issue seems to be affecting user communication, which is never a pretty sight.
At the time of writing, the #Instagramdown hashtag is also popular on Twitter.
How to Fix Instagram DM Error? Instagram is currently the social media platform that people around the world love the most. Its ability to send and receive direct messages is one of its important qualities. However, many users were perplexed as to why Instagram DM stopped working for them!
Imagine waking up one day and realizing that you cannot message your friends on Instagram or invite others to your profile. You might decide to stop sending messages entirely in this situation! Although Instagram often releases updates to fix bugs like Instagram DM not working, there’s no need to abandon your marketing goals while waiting for an update! Now let’s learn why Instagram DMs don’t work.
Instagram DM not working 2023: How to fix Instagram DM error?
Instagram DM malfunction is one of the users’ most common issues while using Instagram. In fact, there are a variety of causes for it and ways to fix Instagram chat bugs. Check out these solutions:
- Check your internet connection
- Check if you are blocked
- Check if the user has deactivated their account
- Update Instagram
- Downgrade from Instagram
- Report the issue to Instagram
- Clear Instagram cache
- Uninstall and reinstall Instagram
- Use a VPN
- Check Instagram server status
- Follow Instagram DM recipients
- Check if Instagram has applied an action lock to your account
You may occasionally find that you cannot send, receive, or access your messages. But before we do anything, let’s look at a few likely causes. It’s time to think about all possible fixes for Instagram DM not working now.
Check your internet connection
Nobody denies the existence of bugs and problems on Instagram. However, there are instances where the platform is innocent. As said before, if you have a bad internet connection, all the software will stop working and Instagram messages will not load.
So before you blame Instagram, you’d better make sure you’re connected. Follow these steps to achieve this:
- On your phone, swipe down until you see the settings menu.
- Now check if your Wi-Fi or mobile data is turned on.
- If it’s not connected, turn it on.
However, check the speed if you’re already connected and not sure why your Instagram messages haven’t appeared yet. You can check speed on several websites such as Fast.com or Speedcheck.org to see if Instagram DMs are not working.
Check if you are blocked
Chats on Instagram not loading? The person you are trying to reach has blocked your messages, which is one of the factors contributing to Instagram DM errors.
If someone blocks you on Instagram, you won’t be able to send them another message. Also, any communication you had will go away. So if you see all your Instagram chats disappeared with a specific user, see if they blocked you.
To find out if you can access their posts or not, search for their username on Instagram. If you are blocked and cannot see the posts or followers, there is no problem with the program. Also, there is no way to fix it.
Check if the user has deactivated their account
You are trying to get in touch with a blocked Instagram user, which may be another problem that you cannot solve. In fact, even after deactivating your Instagram account, you and your buddy can still access each other’s messages, but only if you use another Instagrammer’s user ID. You can read the entire chat, write messages and access everything in this case, but you cannot check whether your messages are read.
So if you find someone has stopped messaging you, you can search for their username to see if they’re still active on Instagram. In fact, when an account is terminated, the error message “User not found” appears when you search for the username.
Update Instagram
As I said before, using an outdated version of Instagram can occasionally lead to an Instagram DM issue. Make sure you use the latest Instagram version if you encounter this problem.
Just search App Store on your iPhone or Google Play on your Android device to see if a new program version is available to install and solve Instagram messages not showing issue.
Downgrade from Instagram
I find that pretty shocking. especially given what you just read in the previous paragraph. Well, that has happened frequently. You should be aware that Instagram updates can occasionally go wrong! It indicates that after you ask users to update to a new version, after that they will see issues like Instagram DMs not loading.
If you want to prevent the Instagram message error, you need to roll back a version.
Report the issue to Instagram
You should inform Instagram about the issue if you have updated Instagram but are still experiencing Instagram DM errors. Keep in mind that every detail counts when reporting an issue to Instagram. For example, try sending a DM on Instagram’s website to check if the chat feature is still having issues. Include important details like these when reporting this issue.
Clear Instagram cache
Try clearing your Instagram cache if you find your direct messages aren’t working. You can first try sending a DM via another device or, for example, the Instagram website. The Instagram DM issues were stored in your cache when your DMs worked correctly on other devices but not on your phone. Follow these instructions on your device to remove your Instagram cache:
- Clear Instagram cache on iPhone
- Access the settings of the iPhone,
- Next, select “General” before selecting “iPhone Storage”.
- Next, tap on the Instagram logo.
- Press the Download App button to complete the process. Instagram can also be uninstalled and reinstalled.
- Clear Instagram cache on Android devices
- Open the Applications tab in Settings.
- Then select Instagram
- Next select “Clear Cache”.
Uninstall and reinstall Instagram
Reinstalling Instagram app on your smartphone is another option to fix Instagram messages not working error. Although it seems too easy to work, it often does.
Use a VPN
If you use Instagram, you should be aware that there are restrictions on who you can follow, unfollow, and send direct messages to. You should familiarize yourself with the daily Instagram DM limit and strive to stay within it.
However, you can only send so many Instagram messages per day! Unexpectedly, the maximum number of DMs users can send varies. In fact, it depends on when you started using Instagram. You can send between 20 and 50 DMs every day if you are new to Instagram. However, if your account is authenticated, you are allowed to send between 100 and 150 DM daily.
If you are facing an issue of Instagram DMs not working, it may be daily activity restrictions. If you’ve exceeded Instagram’s daily activity limits, cut back on your activity and consider using a VPN. Turn off Instagram completely before logging in with a new IP.
Note that this is only a temporary fix. You should follow Instagram’s terms of service if you want to fix it permanently.
Check Instagram server status
Recently, the servers of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram were all down (source). At this point, all you can do is wait for an error to be fixed when it appears on the Instagram platform backend.
You can check DownDetector to see if the Instagram DMs issue is related to the IG servers. This way, you can know for sure if the problem is widespread and related to the servers.
Follow Instagram DM recipients
Instagram users can choose to receive messages from people who are not their followers by using the privacy setting. Let me elaborate on that.
A requested message in blue appears at the top of your direct Instagram conversation when someone who doesn’t follow you tries to send you a direct message. When you open it, you will receive the following notice.
Check if Instagram has applied an action lock to your account
If you exceed Instagram’s daily activity caps or disregard community rules, Instagram will limit your usage. And once that happens, your only option is to wait for Instagram to unblock you before taking any further action.
DM spam is one of the actions that can lead to an “action block” on Instagram. When people see the same message again on Instagram, they get irritated and report it as spam. On the other hand, you don’t want to miss the chance to sell your goods through Instagram Direct Messages. It is best to stop such behavior if Instagram has previously been notified that you are spam.
So, you have learned why Instagram DMs not working and how to fix Instagram DM errors. Check out how to fix Instagram camera not working error if you have trouble taking photos.
Why is my Instagram DM not working?
Your Instagram messages fail to load or view due to various reasons. Let’s examine the error and its causes now!
The Instagram DM bug can take many different forms. Here are some of its typical examples:
- Instagram messages are not sent
- New Instagram direct messages are not displayed
- Instagram direct messages are disappearing
- Instagram cannot create threads
- An Instagram direct message cannot be deleted
- Instagram message request failed
- Messages won’t open and seem to load forever
- Instagram DM notifications will not go away
- Instagram messages are not loading
- Users cannot see replies to their messages
- Instagram says you have a message, but you don’t have one
- Users cannot start a new message
- Instagram message stuck on sending
- No notification of new messages will be sent
- Instagram inbox not working
- Instagram emoji reactions for direct messages don’t work
Now let’s see where these problems can come from.
You may be separated
Many people who complain about Instagram not working today have problems with their internet connection but are not aware of it. You will no doubt face a number of problems when your connection goes bad or you get disconnected. For example, you might notice that the photos in your Instagram feed are not loading. This could be the reason why Instagram DMs are not working.
Try browsing Instagram feed posts and stories to check if the problem with your Instagram direct message not working is due to your internet connection. Rest assured that if they fail to load and update, you know the cause.
Instagram may not be up to date
As already announced, Instagram tries fixing its bugs with each update. However, you should update your apps regularly for several reasons. If an app is not updated, it can occasionally cause problems.
In this scenario, if you wake up one day, your Instagram DM not working, or worse, all your Instagram messages are gone!
Instagram DM may stop working because your cache is full.
Some of your data has been stored in your Instagram cache to help you find things faster and load images and videos faster. However, a full cache could work against you by slowing down your device.
Full cache can cause problems, this could be the reason why Instagram DM not working.
Maybe you have exceeded the Instagram limits
Sometimes there are no problems with the app or your device! You just flouted Instagram’s DM restrictions, and now Instagram is punishing you. Since Instagram has taken steps to block you, you may encounter the DM not seeing error or many other issues.
Instagram servers may be down
If you didn’t do anything wrong or say anything bad, the servers could be to blame. Of course, with a user base of over 1 billion, Instagram is a hugely successful and effective platform that won’t be declining anytime soon or often.
However, it occurs when Instagram servers are not working properly. In addition to the general Instagram messages not appearing when the servers are down, various issues can arise.
The sender could delete the message
Most likely, your Instagram DMs is working fine even though you suspect otherwise. Since you can’t view a message for which you’ve received a notification, you might wonder, “Why aren’t Messenger and Instagram working for me?” But the fact of the matter is that both parties IG messages may have been deleted by the sender. This could be the reason why Instagram DMs are not working.
You might get a notification in this situation, but when you try to view the message, you will find that it has been deleted. Therefore, no error causes the Instagram messages not to show up here, nor have you done anything wrong.
