Are you unable to receive messages on Instagram?
Did someone send you a DM but you didn’t receive it?
You can verify this by using an alternate Instagram account and sending a message to your main account.
If you’re unable to send or receive messages, it means that there’s probably a bug on the app.
The bug happened multiple times on Instagram before.
If you’re encountering it now, there might be an issue with the latest Instagram update or the app is down.
In this guide, you’ll learn why you can’t receive DMs/messages on Instagram and how to fix it.
Why can’t I receive messages on Instagram?
You can’t receive messages on Instagram because the app is most likely down.
If Instagram is down, you need to wait for 24 to 48 hours for it to be back up.
In some cases, you need to wait for a new update that fixes the messaging bug.
Multiple Instagram users went to Twitter to complain about the bug.
Here’s what @bizarrecoser said, “Are anybody else’s Instagram DMs not working? Like I can’t receive messages and also not send any”.
Followed by, “Quite annoying, I hope it’s just a bug and will get fixed soon”.
Another user, @NotyourAlexaa tweeted, “Apparently I can’t send or receive messages on Instagram. Is anyone else facing this?”.
If you can’t receive messages on Instagram right now, you’re probably not the only one experiencing it because it might be a global outage.
How to fix can’t receive messages on Instagram
To fix can’t receive messages on Instagram, you need to check if Instagram is down.
If it is, you need to wait for 24 to 48 hours to be back up or update Instagram to the latest version.
A previous Instagram update might have caused the messaging issue on the app.
If that’s the case, you need to wait for a new update to be released to fix the bug.
1. Check if Instagram is down
To begin with, you need to check if Instagram is down.
If you can’t receive DMs/messages on Instagram, it’s most likely because Instagram is down.
To check if Instagram is down, you can either visit DownDetector or Twitter.
On DownDetector, search for “Instagram” and look at the graph.
If there’s a spike in reports, it means that Instagram is probably down.
To confirm this, you can visit Twitter and search for “Instagram down” or the issue that you’re experiencing.
Check the top and latest tweets to see if anyone is experiencing the same issue as you.
You can also check the tweet replies on Instagram’s Twitter profile.
If Instagram is down, there will be a lot of people complaining about it.
2. Wait for 24 to 48 hours
If you can’t receive messages on Instagram, you might be temporarily blocked from messaging.
This happens if you sent too many consecutive direct messages.
If so, Instagram will think that you’re a bot and block you from sending or receiving messages.
The block typically lasts for 24 to 48 hours.
If you didn’t send any messages recently but you can’t receive messages, it’s probably a bug on the app.
If that’s the case, you need to wait it out and you’ll be able to receive messages again.
In other words, you don’t have to do anything to fix the issue as it’ll be automatically fixed.
3. Update Instagram
Another method that you can try is to update Instagram to the latest version.
This is ironic because some Instagram updates contain bugs or glitches.
If so, Instagram needs to release another update to fix the previous update.
Hence, it’s normal to see multiple update releases for Instagram in a week or two.
If an update contains “Bug fixes and performance improvements”, you need to update the app.
Alternatively, you can uninstall and reinstall the app to clear its cache.
By doing so, Instagram will also be updated to the latest version.
