We use social media sites on a daily basis. And most of us use them to send or receive messages to other users. Whenever you send a message, the other person receives it. However, in some particular instances, you will see that your message has failed to deliver on Instagram.
In that case, you might have tried to resend the message. And the result is the same. You will see that it doesn’t work. So what can you do? Don’t be worried. We have put together this post with all the information you need when it comes to messaging not delivering on Instagram.
So let’s get to it…
Why ‘ your message was not delivered and cannot be retried ’ is happening on Instagram?
Frankly, it is not possible to point our finger at a single reason behind this issue. There could be numerous reasons why you can’t send messages on Instagram. So we will talk about a number of probable reasons in this section. So you can find the exact reason that could be why you are not able to send DMs to other IG users.
Reason #1 You Have Been Blocked
The first reason could be that the receiver has blocked you. When someone blocks you on Instagram, you will not be able to contact or interact with them anymore. Instagram will not notify you about the block. So you might never know if the other person has blocked you or not.
But if you could send them a message prior, but cannot anymore. Or if you are seeing error messages when sending messages to a particular user, then it is very much possible that they have blocked you.
You can try and search for their name on Instagram. And if their name or account comes up in the search results, then they have not blocked you. However, if you don’t find their name on the search result, then it is clear that they have blocked your account. As a result, you cannot send messages to them anymore.
Also, it is possible that you might have blocked them in the first place. However, you have forgotten that. So now you cannot send messages to them.
Reason #2 The Instagram Post Or Story Has Been Deleted
Normally, you can send messages or reactions to an Instagram story or post. However, an Instagram story is available only for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the story is expired and will be removed automatically.
So it is possible that you are trying to send messages to an expired IG story of someone. As the story is not available, you cannot send messages to that.
Another reason could be that the person has deleted or hidden their particular story or post. As a result, you cannot send any messages regarding that post or story to them.
Reason #3 Internet Connection Issue on Your Side
It might sound obvious, but we have seen that not being able to send Instagram messages has a lot to do with your internet connection. So it is a good idea to check whether your internet connection is working properly or not.
If you are using a Wi-Fi network, then you can restart the router. And if you are on mobile data, then you should check if the validity of the package is still valid or not.
If there is an issue with your internet connection or if there is no internet connection, then you will not be able to send messages on Instagram.
Reason #4 Server Issue on Instagram Side
Instagram is under the Metaverse of Mark Zuckerberg. This is one of the largest IT brands in the world. However, we have seen even Instagram has faced server issues from time to time.
When there is a server issue on Instagram’s side, you will not be able to communicate with others via Instagram. So if you are not capable of sending messages on Instagram, then Instagram could be the issue as well.
Reason #5 You have been Restricted
Instagram has restricted privacy settings. One can restrict other people from interacting with them. So if somebody has restricted you on Instagram, then you will not be able to send messages to them.
On the other hand, it could be that you have restricted them and forgotten about that. So you are not able to send messages to them.
Reason #6 You have Spammed
Every social media platforms have some limitations. You cannot abuse the system. For instance, you cannot send so many messages to many users at once. Or you cannot send a bunch of messages within a few seconds/minutes to others. In such a case, your account will be limited.
And you will not be able to send new messages to others. For some accounts, the limitation is lifted automatically after a certain period of time. However, for some, you might have to contact the Instagram help team for that.
Reason #7 Their Privacy Settings have Changed
Instagram has a lot of different privacy settings. You can change them whenever you want to. Chances are, the person you want to send the message to but can’t have changed their privacy settings recently.
It is not possible to know someone’s privacy settings on Instagram. So whether they have changed their privacy settings or not, you can’t be sure about that. However, if you have any other account, then you can try to send messages using that account to that particular user.
Reason #8 The User has Deactivated Their Account
You can deactivate your Instagram account whenever you want to. You can even delete your account permanently. Now once you have deleted or deactivated your account, others will not be able to send messages to your account.
So if you cannot send messages to a particular account, then this is possible that they have deleted or deactivated their account. Once a person has deleted or deactivated their account, you will not find their account after searching on Instagram.
Reason #9 Cache Issue on Instagram App
If you are using the Instagram app to send messages, then this is for you. Unfortunately, the Instagram app is known for bugs. With each update, the developers try to fix the bugs and glitches.
However, some new bugs show up. So it could be that the problem is with the Instagram app. In that case, the problem could be related to the internal coding of the app or in the cache memory.
Reason #10 Random Glitches on Your Phone
It is also plausible that your phone has some bugs. As a result, it could interfere with the Instagram message system. Sometimes random glitches create issues all over your phone’s UI and operating system. It could hamper your day-to-day interaction with your phone.
Fix ‘ your message was not delivered and cannot be retried ’ issue
Above we have talked about some of the plausible reasons why you can’t send messages on Instagram. Now, we will be sharing the solutions to those problems in this section. Here we go then.
Fix #1 If you have been blocked
Once someone has blocked you on IG, you will not be able to send them direct messages. Also, you will not be notified if they have blocked you. And if you want to still send them messages, there is no way other than they unblock you.
So if you want to send messages to somebody that blocked you, they need to unblock your first. There is no other solution to this.
Fix #2 If the Instagram Post or Story Has Been Deleted
There is no solution to this as well. If they have deleted their story or post, you will not be able to send a private message to them. However, if they have hidden that, then you would be able to send messages if they unhide it once again.
Fix #3 Check Your Internet Connection
The solution to this problem is very simple. You should use an active and working internet connection to send messages via Instagram. If you are using Wi-Fi, then you could disconnect and reconnect again.
Also if you are on mobile data, you can go to Airplane mode for a few seconds. Then turn off Airplane mode again to see if the network is working properly for you.
You can also restart your router. And if the mobile data package has expired or been used completely, you should buy a new data package.
Fix #4 Instagram Server Bug
The Instagram server is known for going out of service. In recent years, there was long server downtime from Instagram that brought the online world to a halt. When there is a server issue on their side, you will not be able to send or receive messages.
The solution is to wait for Instagram to fix their issue. Once the problem is fixed from their side, you will be able to send messages via Instagram.
Fix #5 Against IG User Restriction
If someone has restricted your account from theirs, then you will not be able to send them messages. In this case, you will have to let them know anyhow to un-restrict your account. Otherwise, there is no alternative solution to this.
Fix #6 If you have spammed
First of all, you should not spam on Instagram. This is a very bad idea. Still, if you have done, then you should wait for the certain time period that your account was restricted. After that, you will be able to send messages from your IG account.
However, if you have waited for a long time, the restriction is still there. Then you should contact the IG help center. They will be able to help you in that situation.
Fix #7 Privacy Settings Changed by the Receiver
If the person has made their inbox private, then anybody can’t send those messages. So you might be trying to send a message to someone with that exact privacy settings.
The solution to this problem is at the receiver’s hand. They will need to change their account’s privacy settings so that you can send those messages. Otherwise, you will not be able to send any messages to that account.
Fix #8 Account Deactivation by the Receiver
If the other person has deactivated their account temporarily, then you cannot send them messages in the meantime. However, once they have reactivated their account again, you will be able to send messages to their account.
Also if they have deleted their Instagram account permanently, you will not be able to send them messages anymore. There is no workaround to that issue.
Fix #9 Clear Cache or Force Stop Instagram App
If the problem is with the Instagram app itself, then there are a few things you can try. For instance, you can try to force-stop that app. Or you can also clear the cache of the Instagram app. It is very easy to do. We will share the steps you can follow to do those.
Force Stop the Instagram App
- First of all, you have to go to your Settings app on your android phone
- Next, you will need to tap on the Apps or Applications or Apps and Notifications option (depending on the android OS version)
- From there, you have to tap on the Apps management or See all apps option (depending on the android OS version)
- After that, you will find a list of all the apps installed on your android phone. Now, you need to scroll down and tap on the Instagram option
- Next, you need to tap on the Force Stop button and a popup will appear on the screen
- You just have to tap on the Force stop/Done/OK button again to finalize the task
If you have followed the steps mentioned above, the Instagram app is stopped on your phone. At this point, you will have to launch the Instagram app to see whether the problem has been fixed or not.
Clear the Cache of the Instagram app on Your Phone
If you are still facing issues with the Instagram app, then you can clear its cache and see if it helps. Here’s how.
- Navigate to Settings on your phone
- Next, you will have to tap on the Apps or Applications or Apps and Notifications option (depending on the android OS version)
- Then you need to go to the Apps management or See all apps option (depending on the android OS version)
- Now, scroll down and tap on the Instagram button from that page
- After that, you will have to tap on the Storage Usage option
- Next, you will have to tap on the Clear Data or Clear Cache option (we would suggest you clear cache first if that doesn’t work, then clear data)
- After that, a pop-up will appear and you have to tap on Clear Cache or Clear Data option to finalize the activity
If you have cleared data of the Instagram app on your phone, then you will have to enter the login credentials and log in again on the app.
Fix #10 Uninstall and Reinstall Instagram App
If the above solutions didn’t work on your favor, then you can try this one as well. In this case, you should uninstall Instagram from your phone completely. After that, you should install the Instagram app again. Many users have reported this to solve their ‘cannot send a message in Instrgam’ issue.
Fix #11 Restart Your Phone
The last solution from our end to you is to restart your phone. It might seem a bit obvious. However, we have seen many users share their experience of restarting their phones to solve many different issues.
So if your phone has some bugs or glitches which are interfering with the Instagram app, then you should restart it. After you have restarted the phones, you should try to send the failed message again. If you are lucky, your message should be delivered this time.
Final Lines
Instagram is one of the most popular social media sites out there. However, it has its limitations as well. During the past years, we have seen many bugs and server failures from their side. Here, we have tried to share some important information about messages not delivered on Instagram.
For your convenience, we have talked about some possible reasons for this happening. In addition, we have also shared the solutions to those problems. We hope this post has solved your problem. In any case, you can share this post with others.
Don’t forget to read our post on “How to Fix ‘We Limit How Often You Can Do Certain Things on Instagram’ Error”. And if you have any questions or suggestions, you can let us know in the comments below!
