Instagram has become one of the basic social media platforms for people to socialize and connect. Times are gone when facebook notifications were everything for people to look forward to, whenever their smartphone made a ping. Today, Instagram notifications upgrade its users about every activity. From notifying the audience about their favorite celebrity going live to new reels, messages, photos, videos, and whatnot – Instagram does everything, just right! However, Instagram notifications not working error can be a big barrier, especially if you are running a small business on insta.

Do you have no idea what to do if Instagram notifications are not working on your phone app? Don’t worry! You will get all the potential solutions here. Let’s get started:
Introduction
To begin with, there is no technical way to tell if your Instagram notifications are not working or if you have simply disabled them by mistake. However, in the past month, users on our website have complained concerning the following issues:
- Users do not receive notification updates when their “following fellow” goes live.
- Likewise, users do not receive notification updates concerning messages or new message requests.
- And users also do not receive notification updates regarding likes, comments on their posts, reels, replies to stories, and so on.
Therefore, in the event that you have also noticed the same pattern when it comes to your Instagram profile, the solutions provided in this reading will help you resolve this issue. But, what are the reasons for “instagram notifications not working?” Let’s find out:
Why are Instagram notifications not working on my phone?
For the most part, Instagram notification features make it very easy for users to quickly open any latest message, like, comment, reply to stories, reels, etc., on the insta app. More often than not, when you download the Instagram app on your mobile, the Instagram notification feature is already enabled by default. Therefore, in the event that you have not turned off this feature. Yet, you are not receiving any Instagram notifications lately. Following may be the reason for it:
- You have not permitted “instagram” in the “notification settings” on iPhone. It is very common. Even if you have enabled Instagram notifications on the app, it will not work because of restrictions based on iPhone notification settings. (this rarely happens in Android).
- Your phone has low storage capacity. Even though notifications use very little data (only in KBs), it is possible that you do not have any storage capacity left on your device. As a result, the phone does not receive notifications even if the app pushes it.

- DND or do not disturb feature is ON on your mobile phone. It is predictable that you have put your phone on DND mode because of which all calls, messages, notifications, and other updates are forwarded until you disable this mode.
- Your smartphone is running on low battery mode. When your phone is down to its 10% or less, it turns on low power mode automatically. As a result, the phone is only allowed to use the battery for emergency calling and texting only. Henceforth, all the apps running in the background, including Instagram and Facebook, force quit automatically.
- You have been using an outdated version of the Instagram app, which is no longer useful or even bugged.
How to fix “instagram notifications not working” on Android or iPhone?
Apart from all the above-mentioned causes of “Instagram notification silenced or disabled,” there is the possibility of other unknown reasons. But, hold your horses because we brought you the top 10 methods to fix Instagram notifications not working in error in just a few minutes. Are you ready? Let’s get started:
#Method 1: Allow the Instagram app to push notifications in the main settings menu on iPhone
As mentioned in the first reason, if you are using an iPhone. You must have noticed that the iPhone has an entirely different section of “notifications” in the settings menu. Let’s suppose you turn off notifications for the Whatsapp app in this notifications section.
As a result, you will no longer receive WhatsApp message updates instantly, which can clearly be inconvenient. Without your knowledge, it is viable that the Instagram app does not have permission to send notifications in notification settings on iPhone. You can change it by using the following logo:
- Head to the “Settings” from the App library on the iPhone.
- Now, scroll down to the “Notifications” alternative.
- Click on the “Notification style” alternative and navigate to the “Instagram” option.
- Next, ahead of the “allow notification” option, slide the toggle to the right. It will turn green.
- Save the settings and return.
Now, Instagram notifications will work. The same method will also work on Android Smartphones.
#Method 2: Enable “Instagram notification feature” on the app itself (Android/iOS)
According to our research, the Instagram notification feature is enabled by default when you download and log in to your profile on the app. However, lately, if you have not been receiving any notifications on Instagram, it is quite possible that you have disabled the notification feature by mistake. Here is how to undo it:
- Open Instagram App on your phone.
- Login to your profile if it is not already logged in.
- Now, go to your profile.
- On the right top corner, pop on the “three-lined” menu icon.
- Select the “Settings” alternative.
- On the top, you will see the “notifications” option. Click on the same.
- Now, you will see the “push notification” option ON/OFF for different features like Comments, Likes, Comment Likes, Accepted follow request, Instagram direct, reminders, posts, stories, reels, video view count, support request, and so on.
- Navigate through each section and turn it “ON.”
- Once done, save the settings and return.
Note: Some sections will ask you to turn on notifications based on “from everyone” or “from people you know.” For example, if you want to accrue an Instagram notification every time someone messages you (follower or unknown, you can select the “from everyone” option.
#Method 3: Instagram notifications not working? Clear some space on mobile for notifications to push through
Have you ever discerned that the more you use a particular application, the more data, cache, and cookies it creates? Not many users know this, but app applications that push notifications instantly use data for such notifications.
As a result, the cache on your phone, particular to the application, increases over time. Now, notifications use very little data as compared to uploading or downloading photos. For instance, each month, an app does not use more than 10 MB of mobile storage for notifications. Yet, it is something.
Therefore, if Instagram notifications are not working, you can clear cache and temporary data to make some space. Here is how to do it:
For Android:
- Head to the “Settings” from the App library on your Android phone.
- Scroll down to the “Storage” alternative and access the same.
- Further ahead, select the “internal storage” option.
- Next, click on the “cached data” alternative.
- Finally, click on the clear data option.
- Verify/confirm your choice by pressing the OK option.
- Once cleared, return to home.
For iPhone:
- Head to the “Settings” from the App library on your iphone.
- Scroll down to the “General” alternative and navigate to the “iPhone storage” option.
- Next, choose “instagram” from a complete list of apps enlisted on the screen.
- Next, click on the “offload app” option.
- The cache will be cleared.
- Now, you can re-install Instagram from right there without any existing cache.
Note: In the event that you want to simply clear all cache without installing or offloading the insta app, we recommend you to use an iOS cleaner application like CCleaner. It is easy to use and clears unwanted and unimportant data in a few quick scans.
#Method 4: Instagram notifications not working on PC browser? Turn on Push notifications on the Instagram web portal.
Do you tend to use Instagram on a PC browser instead of an app? Well! It is a wise choice if you are in front of the PC all the time and barely has time to look at the phone for all insta updates. However, you must be wondering how to turn on Instagram notifications on a PC web portal? Here is a logue for your reference:
- Go to https://www.instagram.com/.
- Click on the display picture icon on the top right corner.
- Head to the “settings” option.
- Click on the “push notifications” from the left-side menu.
- This ON/OFF for different features like Comments, Likes, Comment Likes, Accepted follow request, Instagram direct, reminders, post, stories, reels, video view count, support request, and so on.
- Navigate through each section and turn it “ON.”
- Once done, save the settings and return.
Note: Some sections will ask you to turn on notifications based on “from everyone” or “from people you know.” For example, if you want to accrue an Instagram notification every time someone messages you (follower or unknown, you can select the “from everyone” option.
#Method 5: Connect to new internet source (turn off mobile data/connect to Wi-Fi instead)
Low internet connection may be one of the major causes for Instagram notifications not working. As mentioned before, all types of push notifications use data to go through. Let’s suppose you are using an unstable internet connection. Parallelly, you are also utilizing other applications which run via the internet. In that case, push notifications will receive no internet connection to send notifications to your screen.
Henceforth, we suggest you connect to a strong signal Wi-Fi connection so that you receive notifications without any error at work. Or, you can switch to an area where mobile data works well on your phone based on the network you are using.
#Method 6: Disable DND or Do not disturb mode on iPhone/Android/Macbook
Whether you are using an iPhone, Android Smartphone, Macbook, or Windows PC, all these devices come with DND mode. This mode is widely preferable among professionals who do not want to be disturbed during crucial meetings and events. But, sometimes, after the meeting or event, users often forget to disable DND mode. As a result, Instagram notifications not working become a problem. Here is how to undo it:
For Windows PC:
- Go to Windows PC desktop.
- On the right bottom corner, tick on the “Action Center” icon (blue circular icon).
- Click on the “turn off quiet hours” option.
In advanced Windows models, the quiet hour feature is also called “focus assist.” turn off focus assist in getting Instagram notifications on your screen.
For MacBook/macOS:
- If you have put your MacBook on “DND mode.” You will see a half-moon icon in the top bar.
- Click on the moon icon.
- Next, click on the enabled option to turn it off. It will go from blue to gray.
- Hence, turned off.
For Android:
- Unlock your Android Smartphone and shutter down the notification bar.
- Next, click on the DND icon (circular with a -/dash inside).
- Click on the “TURN off” button.
- You are good to go.
For iPhone:
- Unlock your iPhone and shutter down the notification bar.
- Next, click on the DND icon (moon).
- When it says “focus,” it means DND is off.
#Method 7: Download and re-install a new version of the Instagram App
More often than not, users avoid installing new versions of apps. However, such a practice is not always healthy for your phone. If Instagram notifications not working on old and outdated versions of the app.
It may mean that the outdated version has bugs and needs to be fixed. Therefore, we strongly suggest that you download and install a new version from the official app store.
Apart from this, in any case, if you are using a pirated version of Instagram for some reason. Delete it. It may be the reason why notification is restricted on your profile.
#Method 8: Instagram notifications not working? Connect to an instant source of power
Last but not least, if your phone is last to its 10% battery or less, low power mode automatically enables it on your device. This feature saves battery for emergency call purposes.
Thus, it is why Instagram notifications may not be working on your device. To resolve this, connect to a quick source of power.
Epilogue
In the end, we hope that you are no longer dealing with any Instagram notification error. For more information on tech tips for Instagram users, keep us in your bookmark. Thanks for reading with us. Good luck.