Instagram has conquered millions of users from all over the world thanks to its convenience and wide range of features. However, any service or application cannot provide a 100% guarantee against failures. Users face a problem in Instagram – you cannot reply to this message. Let’s uncover the reasons for such an error and consider ways to solve it.
What is the difference between Instagram and other social networks?
This is the only platform focused on working with photos and videos, allowing you to share your emotions and tell others about yourself.
Let’s look at the main differences between Instagram and competitors in the market of modern mobile applications and digital technologies:
- Communication with other subscribers through the publication of multimedia content. Here, you can turn any, even bad photo into a work of art using a large selection of built-in graphics elements and tools, filters, and display effects. In just a few clicks, you can upload a high-quality and colorful image for everyone to see.
- Minimal level of privacy. Almost all accounts on the social network are public.
- Simplicity in perception. Photos, videos, or short stories are easier for visitors to perceive than blocks of text.
- The ability to promote business. Instagram has long become a platform for professional commercial and advertising activities. Here, you can promote your product or service by presenting it in a colorful way.
- It is in Instagram where you can find official accounts of show business and movie stars and follow changes in their lives.
- The ability to shoot and post short story videos in the news feed, which last no more than 15 seconds. This method of publication has become widely popular among subscribers. Every day, more than 200 million users from around the world view stories. During this time, you can brightly tell about yourself and your life, attracting a new audience.
Instagram has an integrated function of personal chat (direct), where you can communicate with your friends, share photos and videos, as well as publications.
Causes: why it is impossible to respond to correspondence
Despite the high popularity and simplicity of the mobile application Instagram, users are not 100% protected from problems and software failures. A striking example is a system error that says “cannot send message in private chat”. How does this happen? You receive a message from another user and want to write a reply, but when you press the send button on the screen, a warning pops up.
There can be many reasons for such notifications and restrictions, ranging from malfunctions of the mobile device itself to outdated software and lack of internet connection. All problems can be divided into two main categories:
- Software failures of the mobile phone or the Instagram service itself.
- Structural defects of the smartphone.
Don’t forget about the carelessness of the users themselves. First of all, check if your interlocutor has blocked your page. If the profile is private, you won’t be able to send them a message until they add you as a follower, so the only option is to delete the chat. Try writing a message to someone else, if the error persists, the solution needs to be sought elsewhere.
Almost all malfunctions can be fixed independently without contacting technical support. Below we will consider popular causes of failures and methods for solving them.
Rebooting mobile device
The most common cause of the error is a one-time service freeze. In this case, try restarting your mobile device or the Instagram app itself.
Change connection type
To ensure that Instagram works properly and performs its functions correctly, it is necessary to have a stable and reliable internet connection. If the connection is interrupted, you will not be able to send a direct message or post a publication in the news feed. A similar situation occurs when messages are not sent due to low network speed. Here are some ways to solve the problem:
1. First, check if the airplane mode is not turned on on your mobile phone, which blocks access to the network.
2. Activate data transmission in the mobile connection settings of your smartphone.
3. If you are outside the coverage area of mobile operators, the only solution is to find a place with moderate reception where you can respond to messages.
4. Switch the type of connection. For example, if you are using Wi-Fi, turn it off and switch to mobile data.
5. Restart the router or router, and try to write a direct message again.
6. It is recommended to check if your mobile operator has blocked you for non-payment or debt.
Internet connection is an important factor that affects the stable operation of the social network.
Resetting settings on Instagram
If restarting your smartphone did not bring the desired result, then you need to reset the settings of the Instagram application itself. Follow these instructions:
- Go to the settings section on your mobile device.
- Find the tab of installed applications.
- After that, a list of all utilities will open, find the social network.
- Click on the memory item.
- Here you will see a button to clear the cache and reset data.
After deleting all the information, when launching the application, you will have to enter the login and password for your Instagram account to reauthorize in the system.
Updating outdated version
The developers of the social network recommend timely downloading and installing the latest updates of the mobile application to avoid unpleasant consequences and errors in direct messages. With each update, new unique features appear in the service. If you have disabled automatic firmware installation, you need to perform a number of actions:
- Open the Play Market or AppStore software store.
- In the search bar, type Instagram.
- If you have an old version installed, the system will offer to update it.
Similar recommendations apply to the smartphone itself. Make sure that your operating system corresponds to the current version. You can find out this information in the phone settings, in the updates center section.
Instagram message limits
If you are unable to respond to a message in Instagram’s personal chat, the reason may be a service restriction introduced by the social network to protect users from suspicious accounts and spammers. Currently, the following limits apply to messaging:
- Sending personal messages to subscribers no more than 100 per day.
- If you are talking to third-party profiles that are not friends, the limit is reduced to 40 messages per day.
After exceeding the established norm, a temporary block is introduced. With each new update, these numbers increase. In addition, Instagram has introduced limits for writing comments and likes under publications.
The article explains what to do if you cannot send messages on Instagram. There are many reasons for such an error. First, check your internet connection, the installed version of the software, and try not to exceed the standard messaging limits.