You received a message on Instagram and you want to react to it, but nothing happens. You cannot send emoji, likes or comments. You are wondering why and how to solve this problem.

Is this an application bug, a recipient restriction or an error on your part?

In this article, we will explain the possible causes of this blockage and the solutions to remedy it.

Connection problem

The first thing to check is that you have a stable and sufficient internet connection to use Instagram . If the connection is weak, slow, or unstable, one may not be able to send or receive likes, comments, or replies.

To resolve this issue, try the following methods:

• Switch to airplane mode and then turn it off
• Restart your phone
• Get closer to the wifi router 
• Change wifi network

Update problem

The second thing to check is that you have the latest version of Instagram installed on your phone . If the version is out of date, some features may not be available or may not work properly.

To resolve this problem, you must go to your phone's store ( Google Play Store or App Store ) and check if there is an Instagram update to download and install.

Settings problem

The third thing to check is that you have activated the necessary settings to react to Instagram messages . In particular, it is necessary to ensure that:

• We allowed Instagram to access mobile data or wifi
• We allowed Instagram to send notifications
• We have activated public or restricted mode for comments
• We have not blocked or restricted the creator of the message or the people who reacted to it
• We have not disabled comments or reactions on our own account

To resolve this problem, you have to go to the settings of your phone and your Instagram account and check that everything is configured correctly.

Bug problem

The fourth thing to check is that there is not a bug on Instagram today that prevents you from reacting to messages . It may happen that the Instagram application encounters temporary malfunctions which affect certain functionalities.

To resolve this issue, try closing and relaunching the Instagram app , clearing the app's cache and data, or uninstalling and reinstalling the app.

Restriction issue

The fifth thing to check is that you are not subject to a restriction imposed by Instagram . It may happen that you are temporarily limited in your actions on Instagram if you have violated the rules of the social network, for example by sending too many likes, comments or messages in a short time, using bots or third-party applications , or by posting inappropriate content.

To resolve this problem, you must wait for the restriction to be lifted (this may take a few hours or a few days) and respect Instagram's terms of use .

A private account

A sixth possible cause of you not being able to react to an Instagram message is that the recipient of the message has a private account.

Indeed, there are two types of accounts on Instagram: public accounts and private accounts . Public accounts are accessible to everyone, while private accounts are only visible to people who have been accepted as followers by the account owner.

If you are trying to respond to a message sent by a private account that you are not subscribed to, you may not be able to do so.

This depends on the choice of the account owner, who can activate or deactivate the possibility of receiving reactions to messages in their privacy settings. If he has deactivated this option, you will not be able to send him emoticons or stickers in response to his messages.

To find out if the message recipient has a private account or not, you can try visiting their profile and see if you see a padlock or not. If you see a padlock, it means the account is private and you need to request to follow the owner to be able to interact with them.

FAQs

What are the conditions for being able to react to an Instagram message?

To be able to react to an Instagram message, you must meet the following conditions:

• Have the latest version of the Instagram app installed on your device. Post Reactions is a feature that launched in February 2020, so if your app is outdated, you won't be able to use it.
• Have a stable and sufficiently fast internet connection If your connection is too weak or disconnected, the application will not work properly and some options will be unavailable.
• Be subscribed to the account of the recipient of the message, or that the recipient has a public . If the recipient of the message has a private account and they have not accepted you as a subscriber, you will not be able to send them reactions to messages.

What are other possible reasons why I can't react to an Instagram message?

If you meet the requirements to be able to respond to an Instagram message, but you still can't do so, there may be another reason for the problem. Here are some examples of possible reasons:

• The recipient of the message has disabled the ability to receive reactions to messages in their privacy settings. In this case, you will not be able to send him emoticons or stickers in response to his messages.
• The Instagram application has a bug or error that prevents reactions to messages from working properly. In this case, you will have to wait until the problem is fixed by the app developers or contact Instagram support to report the problem and ask for help.
• You have been blocked by the recipient of the message or you have blocked them. In this case, you will no longer be able to communicate with him by any means on Instagram, including through reactions to messages.

How do I know if the recipient of the message has disabled the ability to receive reactions to messages?

To find out if the recipient of the message has disabled the ability to receive reactions to messages, you can do the following test:

• Open the Instagram app and tap the envelope icon at the top right of the screen.
• Select the conversation in which you want to react to a message.
• Long press on the message you want to react to.
• See if emoticons and stickers are displayed at the bottom of the screen or not.

• If they do not appear, this means that the recipient of the message has disabled the ability to receive reactions to messages.

How do I contact Instagram support to report a problem with post reactions?

If you think the problem with post reactions is due to an Instagram bug, you can contact Instagram support to report the problem to them and ask for help. To contact Instagram support, you must follow the following steps:

• Open the Instagram app and tap the icon representing your profile at the bottom right of the screen.
• Tap the three horizontal lines at the top right of the screen and choose the Settings .
• Tap the Help then Report a problem .

• Something is not working option and describe the problem you are having with post reactions.
• Send your report to Instagram support and wait for their response.