Instagram react to messages not working

One emoji expresses your emotion or intention more clearly than an entire message. So, if someone sends a funny message, you could react using a laughing face or haha emoji. Or with a heart emoji if they shared something nice. Emojis have now become a staple for most, if not all, social media platforms. In this article, we will focus on how to react to Instagram messages with emojis on iPhone.

Learn how to react to Instagram messages with emojis on iPhone

You should use some cool emojis on your Instagram DMs, as they are currently the trend. In this section of this article, check out our step-by-step guide on how to react to messages with different emojis on Instagram using your iPhone.


Product recommendation


If you want to make your online presence more fun, install Stickers: Sticker Maker to create fantastic, custom-made stickers on your own.

Step 1: Launch the Instagram app and start a chat

If you haven’t done it, the first step for you is to download the Instagram app on your iPhone. It is a top-rated social media app that is entirely free to install. Then log in to your Instagram handle, and tap on the Messenger icon located at the top-right of the screen. After that, select a chat conversation to react using emojis.

Step 2: React to direct messages on Instagram with emojis

You can either react to an existing message with emojis or answer a message with emojis. Here’s how to react to a direct message on Instagram using your iPhone:

  • Touch and hold on to a conversation on iPhone until an emoji list appears

  • Select the emoji that you’d like. Or, if you want more options, then tap on the “Plus +” icon

  • Or double-tap on a conversation to react with the default heart emoji

  • To find out how to reply to Instagram messages with emojis:

  • Tap on the message text box

  • Next, tap on the “emoji” key on the keyboard

  • After that, choose the emoji(s) that you’d want to use and tap on “Send”

  • How to change double tap reaction emoji on Instagram

    An instant way of reacting to a DM on your Instagram is by double-tapping it. After that, a pre-selected emoji will appear over the message. By default, the double tap emoji is the heart emoji.

    Here’s how to change double tap reaction emojis to replace the default heart emoji:

  • Launch your Instagram app and open a conversation

  • Touch and hold on to a message that you’d want to react to

  • Then tap on the “Plus +” symbol beside the small list of emojis that appears

  • Next, tap on “Customize”

  • After that, touch the “Heart” emoji, or the first emoji on the small list

  • Then select the emoji that you’d want to replace it with from the bottom list

  • At last, tap on “Done” to save your changes

  • You may also use this procedure to swap out the other emojis on the small list for your favorites.

    How to remove emoji reactions from Instagram messages on iPhone

    What if you’ve accidentally reacted with the wrong emoji? The best choice for you would be to un react your emoji reaction to the Instagram message. Here’s how to do it:

  • Tap on the emoji reaction icon on your message

  • On the following screen, tap to remove the emoji from your message

  • Why can’t I react to messages on the Instagram app?

    The most likely reason would be that your Instagram has not been updated to the latest version. So, to update your Instagram app, visit the App Store page. And to know how to enable emoji reactions on Instagram, visit the app’s Settings and choose Update Messaging.

    How to react to an Instagram story on iPhone

    The process of reacting to an Instagram Story is extremely straightforward. First of all, select the Instagram story that you’d want to react to. And then, you can either tap on the message box or swipe up from the bottom. Next, you’ll have three ways to react to the Instagram Story: Quick Reactions (collection of pre-selected emojis), write a message and add GIFs or stickers.

    How to use the laugh react on Instagram DM?

    When your friend shares with you a very funny joke on your Instagram DM, the best way for you to react is by using a laughing emoji. We’ve already shared in an earlier section how to react to Instagram messages with emojis on iPhone. To use the laughing emoji to your friend’s joke, touch and hold on to the message, and tap on the Plus + icon. Next, locate the laughing emoji that you’d want to add. You can find different types of laughing emojis on your iPhone.

    How to add new emojis to Instagram posts on your iPhone?

    There are third-party emoji apps, which you can use to add new emojis to your iPhone keyboard. You can then use them on social platforms such as Instagram. So, if you install an emoji keyboard app, you’d need to enable it on your iPhone keyboard settings. For this, visit the Settings app > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > select the emoji keyboard app to enable it. After enabling the emoji keyboard app, open your iPhone keyboard and tap on the Globe icon to select your emoji keyboard. After that, choose the emoji(s) that you’d want to share on your Instagram posts or other social media posts.

    Finishing thoughts

    This is the complete information on how to react to Instagram messages with emojis on iPhone. Also, we’ve shared several additional pieces of information about changing or removing emoji reactions and many more.

    Some of our related blogs that you may like:

    How to Put a Sticker on a Picture on iPhone

    Why won't my Instagram let me react to messages?

    Try Common App Troubleshooting Fixes Deleting and reinstalling the app. Signing out and back in. Clearing the app's cache, if on Android.

    How do you turn on reactions for DM on Instagram?

    To do this, double-tap on a DM to react to it. By default, you can react to direct messages on Instagram with the heart emoji. However, if you press and hold a message, an emoji list will appear from which you can choose the one you want.