Texting on Instagram has become easier since they introduced the reply feature. This feature allows users to reply only to a specific message, thus avoiding confusion by creating a continuous thread of messages. 

However, many users have reported that they can’t reply to specific messages in a chat. If you are facing the same problem, worry not as we are here to help.

In this article, we provide a comprehensive guide to help troubleshoot your problem and fix it. 

Photo by Bastian Riccardi on Unsplash

What Is The Reply Feature And What Does It Do?

Let’s say your friend sends you 5 texts via Instagram’s direct message (DMs) feature. You want to reply to them individually, with replies relevant to each text. To facilitate this need, Instagram introduced the super useful “Replies” along with other cool features like “Vanish Mode” in September 2020. 

If you gave been using Instagram to text other users, you must have noticed that some messages they send are prefaced with “Replied to you” or “Replied to themself” with a previous text message for context. This makes it easier for everyone to know what is being talked about. 

However, if you try to do the same and found that you can’t, there may be several reasons as to why you don’t have the feature, some of which are detailed below. 

Also Read – Why Can’t I See Comments on Instagram?

1. Using An Outdated Version Of The App

Using an older version of the Instagram app is one of the most common reasons why some newer features are not available. App updates contain new and improved features, newly added functions and fix patches to improve user experience. So, if you haven’t updated your app recently, it might be the reason why you don’t have access to the reply feature. 

2. Not Available In Your Location

Instagram constantly rolls out new features and function, all of which aren’t always available to all users worldwide. Sometimes, new features are only available to users in select regions. So, if you can’t avail the feature, it might be that it’s not yet available in your region. 

3. Not Available To Your Account

Contrary to popular belief, all users in a particular region do not get access to new updates and features at the same time. Similar to differences in regional availability, user accounts in a particular region may get Instagram updates at different times. So, if your friends have the feature and you don’t it just means that it will take a bit longer for your account to get the update. 

4. Unstable Internet Connectivity

If your internet connection is weak or unstable, some features, including the reply function may be temporarily unavailable on Instagram. Try connecting to a stronger network to get consistent access to Instagram features. 

5. Internal Issues

Sometimes the issue might not even be on your end; instead, Instagram might be facing some temporary bug or glitch which might affect the functionality of your Instagram account. Rest assured that these issues are usually temporary and will be resolved within a short span of time. In such an event, you can try logging out of your Instagram account and logging back in after a while. 

6. Curroptive App Cache 

Clearing acumulated cache is always recommended to optimise app or device performance, as cache might be the reason why your app is running slowly and facing other troubles. Sometimes cache can be corrupted, this might cause problems with certain features on Instagram. 

Also Read – A Step-By-Step Guide On How to See Who Viewed Your Instagram Highlights

How To Fix The Reply Feature On Instagram?

Now that we have discussed some of the main reasons why you might not have the reply feature, let’s explore the methods with which you can fix this issue. 

1. Clear App Cache

As discussed earlier, accumulated app cache could result in performance issues in your Instagram app. If the cache is corrupted, it might also lead to the malfunctioning of some features. So it is always advisable to clear your cache on a regular basis. To do so, follow the simple steps below on an Android device. 

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device. 
2. Select “Apps” or “Apps and notifications”.
3. Scroll to or search for “Instagram” on the list of installed apps and select it. 
4. Tap on “Storage” and select “Clear cache”. 

There is no such option to clear cache on iOS. To clear Instagram cache, you will need to uninstall and reinstall the app. 

2. Update Your Instagram App

One of the most overlooked solutions is updating the application. Always keep your app updated to its newest version to avail all of Instagram’s new and improved features. You will be able to do this in just a couple of minutes with these steps: 

1. Open App Store (or Play Store for Android users). 
2. Search up the Instagram app.
3. Check for available updates.
4. If there is one, click on the “update” buttom to install the updates. 

Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

3. Use VPN

If Instagram hasn’t introduced the reply feature in your region, there’s very little you could do within the app to fix this issue. However, there is an easy way to circumvent this issue, which is using a VPN. A virtual private network (VPN) will help by hiding your current location and replacing it with a location where the feature is available.

4. Reinstall The App

If the above steps did not solve the issue, try offloading and reinstalling your Instagram application if you are an iOS user. Offloading the app will also free up storage while keeping your data intact. To offload the Instagram app, follow these steps. 

1. Go to your phone’s Settings menu and click on General.
2. Click iPhone Storage and select the Instagram app.
3. Click “Offload App” and then “Reinstall App”.

If you are an Android user, just uninstall and reinstall the app from Play Store. 

5. Contact Instagram Customer Support

In some cases, certain issues can’t be solved within the app. If none of the above solutions worked for you, we recommed contacting Instagram support directly as they would be able to expertly troubleshoot and solve the issue for you. To contact customer support, follow these simple steps: 

1. Open the Instagram application.
2. Go to your profile by clicking on your profile picture on the bottom right corner. 
3. Tap on the Menu icon and select Settings.
4. Scroll down to Help and select “Report a problem”. 
5. Briefly explain what the problem is on the given description box. 

Also Read – How to See Posts You’ve Liked on Instagram

How To Reply To A Specific Message On Instagram?

By now, you may have solved the problem and have the reply feature up and running on your app. Now, let’s see how to use this feature to directly reply to specific messages on your Instagram app. Find below an easy step-by-step guide. 

1. Open the Instagram app and go to the chats tab by clicking on the Messenger button on the top right corner. 

2. Open a chat where you would like to reply to someone’s message. 

3. Tap on the message you want to reply to and hold down on it. 

4. You will now see a drop-down tab with the “Reply” option on the top. 

5. Tap on “Reply” and Instagram will automatically attach the text to your chat. 

6. Type the message you would like to reply with and hit “Send”. 

Also Read – We Limit How Often You Can Do Certain Things on Instagram (With Fixes)

Conclusion

We hope that we were able to help solve your problem with our guide. We recommend that you try each of these steps if one doesn’t work for you. 

However, it is important to note that it could be a problem of the “Reply” feature not being available in your region yet. In which case, you could either use a VPN to change your location or wait for Instagram to launch it in your region. You can also contact Instagram customer support as they will be able to help you with any problem you may have with the app.