Are your Instagram notifications not working? First, check whether your phone allows notifications from Instagram. The cause may also be within Instagram itself, or in the settings for one conversation. So check exactly what you are missing: all notifications, only an alert for direct messages, or the dot on the app icon. This will tell you where to look next.
Follow the steps below for your phone and the notification you are missing.
Which Instagram notifications are you not receiving?
A new message may be in Instagram without your phone giving you an alert. First, check which type of notification is missing.
| Notification type | What is it? | Where do you start? |
|---|---|---|
| Push notification | A notification outside the app, for example on your lock screen. | In your phone’s notification settings. |
| App badge | A dot or number on the app icon. | In the settings for badges or notification dots, if your phone has them. |
| Direct message notification | An alert for a direct message. | In the settings in Instagram and for the conversation. |
| In app notification | A notification about activity that you see in Instagram. | Check whether the activity is visible in the correct account. |
Start with a small test. Ask someone to send you a new direct message while your phone is locked. Do you not receive a notification? Open Instagram and check whether the message is there.
Change one setting at a time in the checks below and repeat the test. This lets you see which change makes a difference.
Is the message not in your conversation either? Then it is not just the alert that is missing. Check that you have the correct account open and that Instagram is loading new content.
Turn on Instagram notifications on iPhone
Open Settings, choose Notifications, then Instagram, and turn on Allow Notifications. Focus can keep notifications silent. Read more about this in Apple’s explanation of managing notifications on your iPhone.
Then have someone send a new message. Was permission already enabled? Test once without Focus active. Turn it back on after the test as you want to use it.
Do you receive a notification but hear nothing? Look for the sound setting. Are you only missing the dot or number on the app icon? Check the badge setting. You do not need to change everything if only one component is missing.
Check Instagram notifications on Android
On Android, you can turn on notifications for each app. The steps vary by device. Google’s explanation of managing app notifications on Android also covers categories, silent notifications and notification dots.
Open your phone’s settings and search for ‘notifications’. Find Instagram in the list of apps and check that notifications are allowed.
- You do not receive any notifications: first check the general permission for Instagram.
- You are missing one type of notification: check the separate categories if your device shows them.
- You see a notification without sound: check whether it is set to silent.
- You are only missing the dot on the app icon: look for notification dots or badges.
Can you not find an option? Use the search function in Settings or the instructions for your device. The button may have a different name on your phone.
Check Instagram notifications in the app
Also check the notifications section in Instagram’s settings. The names and layout may vary between versions. Follow the descriptions shown in your app.
- Check your account. Do you use multiple accounts? Open the account where you expect the notification.
- Check whether notifications are paused. Look for an option that temporarily silences or pauses notifications. Check whether it is enabled.
- Find the type of notification that is missing. Are you not receiving an alert for a direct message? Check the message settings.
- Test your change. Have someone send a new message before changing the next setting.
Do you only want notifications for direct messages? Focus your checks on those. You do not need to turn on other types of notifications.
No Instagram direct message notifications from one conversation
Do you receive notifications from other conversations? Open the chat that remains silent and view the conversation information. Look for a setting for muting or notifications, if shown.
For example: you receive an alert when a friend sends you a message, but not for your group conversation. Start with that group’s settings, not the general permission on your phone.
Are you missing notifications from all conversations? Check the message settings in Instagram and the phone settings above.
Also check whether the expected message is in your regular conversations or message requests. This helps you describe exactly what is going wrong.
Instagram notifications only arrive when you open the app
Do new messages only appear once you open Instagram? The alert may be the only thing missing, but it may also be that the app only retrieves the messages at that point. The difference is not always immediately clear. Try these checks:
- Test your connection. Have someone send a new message once via Wi Fi and once via mobile data, if you can use both. Keep your data allowance in mind.
- Test without battery saving. Temporarily turn it off and have someone send another message. This test checks whether it makes a difference; battery saving may not be the cause.
- Check on Android whether Instagram is being restricted. In the app settings, look for battery usage and background data usage. This means usage while you do not have the app open. Only change a restriction you recognise.
- Restart your phone. Test again while Instagram is not on the screen.
Keep the other settings the same during each test. Otherwise, you will not know what helped. Did a change make no difference and do you want to keep the previous setting? Restore it then.
What if Instagram notifications still do not work?
Check whether an update for Instagram or your phone is available. Test again after an update.
Are other apps also not working properly, or are your conversations not loading at all? Read what you can check when Instagram is not working.
Does only the notification problem remain? Look for help within Instagram or the option to report a problem. Describe what is happening and include:
- Which device you use and which system version it has.
- Whether you are missing all notifications, only notifications for direct messages, or only a badge.
- Whether it happens in one conversation, with one account, or everywhere.
- Whether messages are visible once you open Instagram.
- Which checks you performed and what the result was.
Do not include passwords or login codes. Sharing an image of the problem? Make names and direct messages unreadable.
Do you also have another problem? Read the separate guide if Instagram filters are not working or if music on Instagram is not working. Those checks are separate from your notification settings. Once your account is working as intended, you can explore our Instagram services to compare packages for followers and likes for your public profile or content.
