Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms around and has become an integral part of our daily lives. Every activity that happens is delivered to us through a simple notification. But what happens when you don’t get these notifications?
In this article, we’re going to talk about how to fix the Instagram notifications not working issue.
Restart your phone
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, restarting your device can do wonders with seemingly random issues. If you’re not getting your Instagram notifications, try restarting your phone to see if it fixes your issue.
Update your Instagram app
More often than not, if you’re running an outdated app, it can cause problems.
Head over to your respective app store to check if there are any updates available. If they are, update your app and try again.
Also read: How to remove remembered Instagram accounts?
Turn off Do Not Disturb mode
It’s quite easy to turn on Do Not Disturb mode of your phone and then forget to turn it back off. If enabled, the do not disturb mode can cause the Instagram notifications not working error.
On Android
Go to the phone settings and follow the steps mentioned below.

- Tap on Sounds.
- Make sure Do Not Disturb mode is turned off.
On iOS
Open your iPhone or iPad’s settings and follow the steps mentioned below.

- Tap on Do Not Disturb.
- Make sure the toggles for Do Not Disturb and Scheduled are switched off.
As an added precaution, scroll down to Do Not Disturb while driving and make sure it’s set to Manually under Activate.
Reinstall the app
Reinstalling your app can fix a bunch of issues, including the ones that cause your notifications to stop working.
Regardless of whether you’re on Android or iOS, try reinstalling the app to see if it resolves the issue. This will also give you an option to recheck your notification settings from the get-go.
Also read: How to get rid of ‘Action Blocked’ on Instagram?
Log out of your Instagram app
Another quick fix for random issues like this is logging out of your Instagram app is to logout and logging in again.

- Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom right.
- Tap on the hamburger menu icon in the top right.
- Tap on Settings.
- Scroll down and tap logout.
Now log back in to check if your issue is resolved.
Check Instagram notification settings
Instagram offers several notification settings to let users control what they get notified about.

- Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom right.
- Tap on the hamburger menu icon in the top right.
- Tap on Settings.
- Head over to Notifications.

- Make sure the Pause All toggle is set to off. As an added precaution, tap on Posts, Stories and Comments
- Make sure all settings are set to From Everyone.
Also read: How to change the chat theme on Instagram?
Check notification settings from a different phone
Building upon the last point, if you’re using the same account on different phones, having different notification settings on different phones can mess things up a bit.
Check your notification settings from a different phone and make sure they’re all in unison.
Check your phone’s notification settings
Both iOS and Android allow users to disable notifications on a per-app basis, which could potentially cause the Instagram notifications not working error on your device. Here’s how you can check your notification settings.Â
On Android
Go to your device’s settings and follow the steps mentioned below.

- Head over to Apps & notifications.
- Tap on All apps
- Find Instagram in the list and tap on it to proceed.

- Make sure that Notifications is set to On.
- Also, tap on Notifications and make sure the subcategories are also enabled.
On iOS
Go to your device’s settings and follow the steps mentioned below.

- Tap on Notifications.
- Find Instagram in the list and tap on it to proceed.
- Make sure the Allow Notifications toggle is enabled.
Also read: How to fix ‘YouTube not working’ issue?
Disable Battery Saver or Low Power modes
Android and iOS come with built-in battery saver modes that automatically turn on when your battery is low. Disabling them can help fix notification issues.
On Android
Open your device’s settings and follow the steps mentioned below.

- Head over to settings and tap on Battery.
- Make sure that Battery Saver is set to Off.
On iOS
Open your device’s settings and follow the steps mentioned below.

- Open your phone settings and head over to Battery.
- Toggle the Low Power Mode switch off.
Also read: Top 7 Android apps for Instagram hashtags
Enable background refresh on iOS
iOS has a built-in setting that can be used to enable or disable background refresh for apps. If this is switched off, Instagram won’t be able to show you any notifications. Open your iPhone or iPad’s settings and follow the steps mentioned below to fix the Instagram notifications not working issue.

- Tap on General.
- Scroll down to find Background App Refresh.
- Make sure Instagram is enabled in this list.
Clear out the cache
Clearing out your cache on Android can get rid of any corrupted cache files your app may have saved which could be causing problems. Here’s how.

- Head over to your phone’s settings and tap Apps and notifications.
- Tap on Show all apps and find Instagram from the list. If you’ve recently used Instagram it’ll show up in the recent apps as well.
- Locate Instagram in this list.

- Once on the app settings page, tap on Storage and cache
- Tap on the Clear cache button to clear out all the data your app has stored.
Update your phone
If nothing else works, it could indicate a problem with your phone. Try checking for a software update if available and see if that fixes the Instagram notifications not working issue.
On Android
Open your device’s settings and follow the steps mentioned below.

- Scroll down and tap on System.
- Tap on Advanced.
- Tap on System Updates to check for any available updates.
On iOS
Open your device’s settings and follow the steps mentioned below.

- Tap on General.
- Tap on Software Update to check for any pending updates and install them.
Also read: How to change background colour in Instagram stories?