Replying to a specific message sounds easy, isn’t it? In Instagram, like in most messengers and chatting apps, you need to tap and hold a message you wanna reply to and then choose “Reply” among the list of options. Yeap. that takes just a few taps.
But on Instagram, there are some things you should know about.
First, this option may not be available on your phone “out of the box.” Second, you can’t simply reply to a message in the web version, but here’s a trick that may help you. I don’t often use Instagram from my laptop, so I never minded. When I noticed this, I was sure it was a bug and tested it on other browsers and then on Windows PC and was impressed that the option was missing.
Well, the guide below may help you with replies to a single message on Insta, let’s dive in.
What to do to reply to a message on Instagram using the mobile app?
Here’s how to reply to a specific message in the Instagram app:
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile device.
- Go to the Home section. To do this, tap on the icon in the lower left corner.
- Then in the upper right corner, tap the Direct Messages icon.
- Select the chat.
- Tap and hold on to the message you want to reply to.
- From the menu, select Reply.
- Up to the text-input field would appear a message you’re replying to. Type your reply in the text field.
- Tap the Send button.
This way, you will reply to a specific message, and the person will see your reply.
How to reply to a message on Instagram using the desktop?
About a week ago, I opened the Instagram site on my Mac, and I was stunned that some of the features were no longer available, including a reply to a specific message.
At first, I couldn’t believe that users could no longer reply to a particular message. However, then I found this option. To reply to a message on Instagram using the desktop, you need to follow these steps:
- Open Instagram in your browser.
- Then open Direct and select the desired chat.
- Click on the three dots next to the message you want to reply to.
- Then select “Forward.”
- Then select the user from the list and click “Send“.
That is, it only works if you forward the message. But in fact, you will get the same result. The difference is that you will first re-send the message, and then you will need to send yours.
Can you reply to any message on Instagram?
Using the Instagram mobile app-you can reply to any message. But with a desktop, you can only reply to text messages. For example, if you’ve been sent Reels in a chat, you can’t reply to that.
This feature works in individual conversations and group chats on different devices. It’s especially useful in group conversations where multiple messages are exchanged because you can specify exactly which message you’re replying to and avoid confusion.
If the recipient replies to my response, will it show my reply first?
On Instagram, when a recipient replies to your message, their reply usually appears below your previous message in the conversation thread. In other words, your reply will appear first, followed by their reply. This is standard behavior for the platform to maintain the timeline order of the chat.
How do reply messages show up on Instagram?
On Instagram, the reply message appears pronounced. If you send a reply message, your chat partner will see the message in the mobile app:
If you send a reply message, your chat partner will see the message in the desktop browser:
If you want to reply to a message, your chatter will see it.
Why can’t you reply to a specific message on Instagram?
By the way, some people can’t reply to messages. I don’t know why, but Instagram has made some tangle with this feature, and you need to update messaging before you can send replies. Firstly, this feature appeared like a pop-up when you opened the messages section. Like the way shown in this guide by Dave Johnson.
His guide shows that the messages button in the top-right corner looks like a paper plane:
But to have a reply option available, it should look like this:
Maybe you’ve chosen “Not now” when you saw the pop-up welcoming you to the new Messenger feature for the first time, or that may be just a bug, and you were never invited to the new Messenger features. Nevermind, that’s easy to fix.
Here’s what you should do:
- Go to your Profile (the icon in the bottom-left corner).
- Then open Settings.
- In the search field, type: Update messaging (it should be at the top of the Settings, but if you don’t see it, you can use search).
- You will see the screen; tap the big blue button Update.
What to do if you can’t reply to a message on Instagram using the mobile app?
You really shouldn’t have that problem with the mobile app. This function in the mobile app works now, unlike in the browser version of Instagram. In the previous sections, I described that I myself didn’t expect to find that the browser version of Instagram now has no option to respond to a specific message. So if you’ve encountered this problem in the browser version, don’t try to fix it, since this feature has been removed. But you can do it through the mobile app.
If you use the mobile app and find that the reply to a specific message option doesn’t work, you should try to fix it with the following tips:
Restart the Instagram app
Close the Instagram app completely and reopen it. This simple step can often resolve temporary glitches or issues with the app. To do this, follow these steps:
- Swipe up from the bottom to close the Instagram app on your iPhone.
- Then swipe from the bottom to the right to open the list of running apps.
- Then swipe upwards to close the Instagram app.
- On the home screen, tap the Instagram icon and launch it.
Update the Instagram app
Ensure you have the latest version of the Instagram app installed on your mobile device. Updates often include bug fixes and improvements that can solve problems with messaging functionality. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open the AppStore.
- Tap the icon for your Apple ID in the upper right corner.
- Then swipe down to the Instagram app.
- Tap on the “Update” button.
Reinstall the Instagram app
If all other methods have failed, you can try uninstalling the Instagram app from your mobile device and then installing it again from the app store. This can help solve problems with the app itself that may affect the messaging functionality. To do so, follow these steps:
- On the home screen, find the Instagram app.
- Tap and hold the icon.
- Select “Remove app” from the drop-down list.
- Tap on “Delete app“.
- Open the AppStore and select “Search” in the lower right corner.
- Type Instagram into the search.
- Then tap on the “Get” icon.
If none of these methods solves the problem and you still can’t respond to your Instagram post, it’s worth contacting Instagram support for further assistance. They can provide specific guidance and assistance tailored to your situation.
