How to turn on message notifications for instagram


8 Ways to Fix Instagram Notifications Not Working

  • If your Instagram notifications aren't working, make sure they're enabled on your device.
  • You should check your notification settings in the Instagram app and on your mobile device. 

Push notifications from Instagram keep you up to date on what's happening while you aren't scrolling through the app.

From post notifications from people you follow to likes and comments on your posts and stories, Instagram notifications give you a quick summary without having to open the app.

If you're not seeing push notifications from Instagram and want to remedy this issue, you've come to the right place. In this article, we go over several troubleshooting tips that should help you to see notifications again. 

Allow Instagram notifications on your device

To enable Instagram notifications on iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app. Tap Notifications.

Turn notifications on or off or change how they appear in Settings. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

2. In the Notification Style section, find and tap Instagram.

3. Tap the slider next to Allow Notifications. When notifications are turned on, the slider will be green.

Ensure the slider is in the on position to receive notifications. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

To enable Instagram notifications on Android:

1. Open the Settings app. Tap Apps & notifications.

2. Find and tap Instagram from the list of apps.

3. Tap Notifications, then tap the slider next to All Instagram Notifications. When notifications are turned on, the slider will be blue and white.

Turn on notifications from the Instagram app

To turn on Instagram notifications in the app on iPhone or Android:

1. Open the Instagram app. Tap the profile icon on the bottom-right of the screen.

2. Tap the menu button at the top-right of the screen (it looks like three horizontal lines), then tap Settings.

Navigate to Settings to change notifications settings, privacy settings, and more. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

3. Tap Notifications.

In Notifications, you can edit or pause all push notifications. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

4. Tap on the different types of notifications to change your settings. For example, in the Posts, Stories and Comments section, you can turn notifications for likes off completely or turn them on for people you follow or everyone on Instagram.

Clear Instagram cache

Clearing your Instagram cache is another possible fix if you're still not receiving notifications. Doing so will also clear up space on your phone.

To do this, delete and reinstall the app if you have an iPhone, or go to the Settings app on Android.

Quick tip: Clearing Instagram's cache on iPhone will automatically log you out. You'll have to log in again to use the app and see notifications. 

Check Do Not Disturb or Low Power mode

Another reason you might not be seeing Instagram notifications is if you have Do Not Disturb or Low Power mode turned on.

Do Not Disturb is a feature available on both iPhone and Android that silences notifications, which includes calls, texts, and push notifications from apps like Instagram.

Battery-saving modes on iPhone and Android also temporarily turn off push notifications. Make sure both are turned off if your Instagram notifications aren't working.  

Check your network connection

An internet connection is required to use Instagram and therefore receive push notifications.

Try troubleshooting your iPhone or Android network connection to see if that resolves your notification issue.

Update or reinstall the latest Instagram version 

Notification issues may stem from not having the most up-to-date version of Instagram. In addition to bug fixes, updates may also include new app features.

To remedy this, update the Instagram app on your iPhone or Android. You can check for available updates in the App Store on iPhone or Google Play Store on Android.

If updating Instagram doesn't fix the issue, try uninstalling then reinstalling Instagram. On iPhone, press and hold the Instagram icon, then tap Remove App

Once you delete the Instagram app, you'll need to sign in after reinstalling. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

On Android, open the Google Play Store app. Tap the profile icon, Manage apps & devices, then Manage. Tap Instagram, then Uninstall.

Update your device's operating system

In a similar vein, ensuring your device OS is up-to-date can help resolve app issues. Like app updates, system updates often come with bug fixes and new features.

Quick tip: Check out our articles on updating iPhone and Android for further tips.

Restart your device

If all else fails, try turning your phone off and back on. If you have an iPhone, press and hold the power and volume up button at the same time, then glide your finger across the slide to power off bar.

If you have an Android, press and hold the power button, then tap Power Off.

Abigail Abesamis Demarest

Abigail Abesamis Demarest is a contributing writer for Insider based in New York. She loves a good glazed donut and nerdy deep dives into the science of food and how it's made. 

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How to Turn on Instagram Notifications on iPhone or Android

  • You can turn on general notifications for Instagram through your phone's settings, but you can also go into the app itself to set which kinds of notifications you want to see.
  • In the app's settings, you can also turn on post notifications for specific accounts.
  • Here's everything you need to know about turning on Instagram notifications.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

With the multitude of apps likely installed on your phone, it's easy to get overwhelmed by notifications, many of which are unnecessary. But there are times when you do want to see what's going on, so turning notifications on can serve a useful purpose.

For Instagram, there are a couple of ways to turn on notifications, depending on the model of phone you have (Android or iPhone). But once you've turned on notifications, you can go into Instagram and decide which specific kinds of Instagram notifications you want to see, meaning you'll only be notified when you want to be.

You'll also be able to turn on post notifications for specific accounts, if you want to keep updated about what those accounts are posting.

Here's everything you need to know to enable Instagram notifications on your phone.

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How to turn on Instagram notifications on iPhone

1. Open your iPhone settings.

2. Tap "Notifications," then locate and tap Instagram within your list of apps (which are listed alphabetically).

3. Toggle on the option to "Allow Notifications" (it should turn green).

4. Toggle on other notification options as you see fit (for example, you have the option to have Instagram show up in your notification center or show up on your lock screen).

If you don't see Instagram within your list of apps on the Notifications screen, your phone may not realize yet that it's an app that sends notifications. Wait until Instagram sends a notification, and then try again.

How to turn on Instagram notifications on Android

1. Open your Android settings.

2. Select "Apps" followed by "Instagram. "

3. Tap "Notifications," then tap the "Allow Peeking" option to turn on notifications for Instagram.

How to select which Instagram notifications you see

1. Open the Instagram app and toggle over to your profile.

2. Tap the three stacked lines and select "Settings." 

Select "Settings," which has a gear icon. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

3. Tap "Notifications."

Open your Notifications menu. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

4. Make sure that "Pause All" is greyed out or unselected, then go into the proper sections to turn on various notifications.

Select which notifications you'd like to have, and which ones you don't. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

How to enable Instagram post notifications

Post notifications are a bit different — these require you to go into specific accounts and toggle that you want to get a notification each time that user posts to Instagram. 

Here's how to set it up:

1. Go to Instagram and toggle over to the search section, located in the bottom toolbar of the app.

2. Enter the name or username of the person you want to get notifications for, then select their account when it pops up.

Search for the account that you want to see post notifications from. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

3. Tap the "Following" button on the left side of the screen, located just under their profile description. You'll have to follow them to see post notifications.

Make sure you're following the account, and open their Notifications menu. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

4. Tap "Notifications."

Choose which post notifications you want. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

5. Select the appropriate notification options (for posts, stories, and live videos).

  • How to go live on Instagram, to broadcast video in real time to your followers

  • How to repost an Instagram Story that you've been tagged in to your own Story

  • How to make your Instagram private and hide your account from everyone except the followers you approve

  • How to post on Instagram from your phone or a Mac computer

Devon Delfino

Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist specializing in personal finance, culture, politics, and identity. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and CNBC. Follow her on Twitter at @devondelfino.

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How to set up (enable / disable) notifications on Instagram

The only reason for the emergence and development of such services as Instagram is human narcissism and the need to satisfy one's own ego, expressed in the mutual setting of "likes" and comments with compliments.

Apple in Telegram and YouTube. Subscribe!

♥ RELATED: How to upload photos and videos to Instagram from a Mac or Windows computer.

However, the medal has a downside - if at first the owner of a new account is happy with every guest of his page, then sooner or later active users with a large number of subscribers already feel some discomfort from the notifications about new actions of visitors every second.

A striking example is the video recorded by the former Spartak Moscow football player de Zeuw, whose iPhone, after publishing a post in the feed with 8 million subscribers, instantly receives such a number of notifications about likes and comments that it becomes simply impossible to use the device normally.

♥ RELATED: How to teach your iPhone to say the name of someone who is calling you.

Also in 2016, Instagram launched a live video feature in Stories. Now, when a user starts a video broadcast, all his subscribers are notified about it. Many users are annoyed by the constant messages about live broadcasts, but, fortunately, if desired, this feature can be turned off without completely turning off all notifications on Instagram.

♥ RELATED: Instagram Blue Check: How to get verified status on Instagram.

How to completely disable notifications on Instagram

There are two ways to turn off all push notifications coming from the Instagram application:

» .

2. If notifications were enabled before, open the application Settings and go to section Notifications .

Enter the settings of the Instagram application and move the switch at the very top to position Off .

♥ RELATED: How to see all the photos you've liked on Instagram.

How to set up Instagram notifications on iPhone

To set up (enable/disable) any Instagram notifications, open your profile page and tap the three horizontal lines icon in the top right corner. On the page that opens, press "Settings" .

In the menu that appears, select " Notifications ".

Here is a list of different scenarios for receiving push notifications (for new posts, likes, comments, etc. ) on Instagram, leave only the most necessary ones.

Also, note the menu item called "Pause All" , which allows you to temporarily disable all Instagram notifications for a selected period of time.

See also:

  • How to download photos and videos from Instagram (from any account) to your computer.
  • The most followed people on Instagram are the 40 accounts with the most followers.
  • Perhaps the most creative account on Instagram.

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I don't receive Instagram* notifications on Android and iPhone - how do I turn them on?

One of the common problems for Instagram* users is the lack of notifications about various events in the Android or iPhone app. Solving the problem, in most cases, is not at all difficult. Attention: before changing the settings described below, make sure that your phone does not have battery saving mode enabled: this may be the reason that notifications do not receive.

This manual details how to turn on Instagram* notifications on your phone if they do not come for one reason or another or, for example, come but without sound. First - about how to solve the problem on Android, then - the same about the iPhone.

  • How to enable Instagram* notifications on Android
  • Not receiving Instagram* notifications on iPhone

How to enable Instagram* notifications on Android

If Instagram* notifications are not received on Android, this may be the result of the corresponding settings both in the application itself and in the phone OS. The steps to find out the cause will generally be as follows (for different models of Android smartphones, the path starting from the 4th step may be slightly different, but the logic is the same):

  1. Open your profile in the Instagram app* (bottom right icon), tap the menu button, then tap Settings.
  2. Go to the settings section "Notifications" - "Push notifications".
  3. Make sure the desired notifications are turned on. If not, turn them on.
  4. If all notifications are turned on in Instagram* settings, go to Android settings and open the "Notifications" section.
  5. This section may look slightly different depending on the phone: for example, on Samsung Galaxy you will see the Do Not Disturb item (which should be disabled if we need notifications), but on all smartphones this section will have a list of applications that we and needed.
  6. Find the Instagram* app in the list and make sure notifications are enabled for it. Please note that on some versions of Android and branded shells there is just an on-off switch for application notifications, as well as additional notification settings that open when you click on the application name: make sure that everything is in order there.

Also, if there are notifications in the notification area, but there is no sound, check that you do not have Do Not Disturb turned on, and that the notifications themselves are set to the desired, not quiet or silent mode (see How to set different notification sounds for different Android apps).

Usually, these steps are enough to get notifications working again. Just in case, if everything is turned on, but Instagram* notifications are still not coming, try simply restarting your phone, and if that doesn’t help, uninstall and reinstall the application (provided you remember your password). Just in case, check if traffic saving is enabled, if it is enabled, disable it. Read more: How to disable data saving on Android and Samsung Galaxy.

What to do if you don't receive Instagram* notifications on iPhone

In case you are using an iPhone and also faced with the lack of event notifications in the Instagram* application, the solution method will be approximately the same as in the previous case:

  1. Try a simple restart of your iPhone first, this often works in this particular case (hold the power button, turn the iPhone off, then turn it back on). If this does not help, continue to the next steps.
  2. Go to the Instagram* app on your iPhone, tap your profile icon (lower right), then the menu button at the top right, and tap Settings.
  3. Go to the "Notifications" section.
  4. Make sure that notifications are turned on for the items you need, and the Pause All option is turned off.
  5. If your app has all notifications turned on, go to your iPhone settings and make sure Do Not Disturb is not turned on.

And now the most important thing: if the previous points did not help, then you will have to use this method (since there is no Instagram* application in Settings - Notifications):

  1. Delete Instagram* from iPhone (make sure you remember your password to re-login).
  2. Reinstall the app from the App Store.
  3. Immediately after the first login, Instagram* will show a request to show notifications, answer "Ok".

As a rule, after this, notifications begin to arrive regularly in the same way as notifications from other applications do. As in the previous case, keep in mind that you should not enable data saving to receive notifications, more details: How to turn off data saving on iPhone.


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