How to Fix Delayed Instagram Notifications?

Instagram, which started as just a photo-sharing social media platform, has now transformed into a platform much more than that. Yes, there are features to upload reels and videos and message people from around the globe. But for some people, Instagram is also a source of income; many online businesses now run independently directly from Instagram.

For these people, having the application malfunction can be devastating. Even people who are regular Instagram users don’t like the app malfunctioning. One particular we are referring to here is the notification feature. Some Instagram users have reported that they are witnessing a delay in receiving notifications from Instagram. If you are one of these troubled users, this article should help you out. Here, we have listed out all the possible solutions to the problem. So without any further ado, let’s get into it.

How to fix the Delayed Notification issue with Instagram?

The solutions mentioned here cater to every possible reason behind the issue. So try all the solutions one after the other until you find one that works for you.

Check Notification Settings:

There are notification options for individual apps both on Android and iPhone. Ensure that the notification settings are customized to receive any notification that comes your way on Instagram.

For iPhone:

• Open Settings on your iPhone.
• Please scroll down to Instagram and tap on it.
• Tap on Notifications.
• Enable the toggle for the Lock Screen, Notification Centre and Banners options.

For Android:

• Open up Settings on your phone and go to Apps.
• Find Instagram in the list of apps and tap on it.
• Select Notifications.
• Enable the toggle for every kind of notification option here to ensure that you get a notification for everything on Instagram.

Try the next solution if this does not solve your delayed notification issue.

Turn off Pause Notifications:

Instagram comes with a built-in pause option that lets you pause notifications from the application for a specific timeframe. You need to disable this option to ensure there is no delay for you while receiving notifications from Instagram.

• Open Instagram on your phone(Android or iPhone).
• Tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner of your screen.
• Tap on the hamburger menu in the top-right corner.
• Select Settings.
• Select Notifications.
• Disable the Pause All toggle here.

Try the next solution if this does not solve your delayed notification issue.

Enable Background Refresh(iOS):

Background Refresh is a feature that lets the app keep access to the internet for continuous updates even when the user is not directly accessing the application. It lets the app continuously run in the background. If this is disabled, your Instagram won’t have access to the internet when you are not using it, and as a result, you won’t get any notifications until you open up the app.

• Open up Settings on your iPhone.
• Scroll down and go to Instagram. Once you see it, tap on it.
• Enable the toggle for Background App Refresh.

Try the next solution if this does not solve your delayed notification issue.

Grant Unrestricted Data access(Android):

Data saver mode in Android can be aggressive at times. If it is turned on, your apps will have restricted internet access while running in the background. So you need to ensure that unrestricted data usage is enabled on your Android to ensure you get notifications on time.

• Open up Settings on your phone and go to Apps.
• Go to Instagram on this list and tap on it.
• Select Mobile Data & Wi-Fi.
• Enable the toggle for Unrestricted data usage.

If even this does not solve your delayed notification issue, try the next solution.

Disable Schedule summary for Instagram(iOS):

Scheduled Summary on iPhone acts as a setting that lets you receive notifications at a set time only. You need to disable it on your iPhone to ensure you get Instagram notifications on time.

• Open up Settings on your iPhone.
• Scroll down to Notifications.
• Select Scheduled Summary.
• Disable Instagram from the menu.

If even this does not solve your delayed notification issue, try the next solution.

Clear app cache(Android):

Cache for every application is stored on a smartphone to ensure a fast and seamless experience. But if there is any inconsistency with that data, it would also affect the app’s general functionality.

And Instagram with it’s cache data is no exception. To fix this, you need to clear the app cache of Instagram.

• Open up Settings on your phone.
• Go to Apps.
• Find Instagram in the list of apps that show up. Once you find it, tap on it.
• Then tap on Storage.
• Tap on Clear cache.
• Finally, tap on clear cache again to confirm your action.

Try the next solution if clearing the cache data does not fix your delayed notification issue with Instagram.

Check Instagram Server Status:

Instagram may be down at the time you are trying to use it. In recent times, there have been instances where Instagram stopped working altogether for people worldwide. If you are looking for your notifications during that while, it won’t work. Go to downdetector and check what is the status of Instagram there. If you see that the services from Instagram are down at the moment, you need to be patient and wait till the developers resolve the issue on their end.

If the servers are not down and you are still witnessing a delay in your notifications, try the next solution.

Check the date and time on your iPhone:

Data and time on any device that requires access to the internet need to be precise according to the geographical location. No internet connection works properly if the date and time of the device are not in sync with the actual date and time of the region. And Instagram without access to the internet will not be able to show notifications instantly. There will be a delay as the connection would be very inconsistent.

For iPhone:

• To set the correct date and time on your iPhone, open up Settings and go to General.
• Then scroll down and find the option Time & Date.
• Tap on this and set the correct date and time per your region.

For Android:

• Open up Settings on your phone.
• Go to System Settings.
• Select Date & Time.
• If the date and time are not set to automatic, turn on the toggle for automatic setup of time and date.

If setting the date and time correctly does not solve your problem, try the next solution.

Check your internet connection:

None of the solutions mentioned in this article will work if you have a  faulty internet connection. This is because the Instagram application requires an internet connection to function properly with all its features. And if you are using WiFi, you must ensure that the connection is secured and fast. To reset your WiFi connection, you can even reset your router. And to check the connection, you could connect some other device to the WiFi and check whether the internet connection is working correctly.

To reset your router, remove it from the power source, wait a while and then turn it on again.

If you do not have WiFi and are using Cellular data, you need to check whether you have an active data plan. If your internet plan has expired or you do not have enough data balance on your connection, you won’t get Instagram notifications at all.

After this, ensure that you have enabled mobile data or cellular data for Instagram. There is a possibility that your Instagram app is set to connect to the internet only via WiFi. You need to change it to use mobile data as well if you need constant and continuous notifications without relying on WiFi for an active internet connection.

For iPhone:

• Open the Settings App and go to the Cellular or Mobile Data section.
• Here, turn on the mobile data and scroll down the screen to the Instagram application.
• Once you see it, tap on the toggle next to it to turn on mobile data for it.

For Android:

• Open up Settings.
• Go to Apps.
• Select Instagram.
• Go to Data Usage.
• Ensure the toggle to disable WiFi and Mobile data is turned off.

If even this does not help you out, try the next solution.

Update Instagram:

Like any other application, the Instagram app could also develop some bugs over time. And that is why the developers will push out updates for it whenever there is a requirement. So if you are using an older version of the application, you should update it to the latest version and check whether that helps.

Besides the bug issue, we also have the issue with incompatibility when it comes to outdated apps. If you are using an old version of Instagram and your phone is running on the latest version of Android or iOS provided by your OEM, the app might be incompatible with your OS. You need to update the application to the newest version to fix this.

For Android:

• Open Google Play Store on your phone.
• Search for Instagram
• Once it shows up in the results section, tap on it.
• Then tap on the app to open it up. You will see an update button next to it.
• Tap on the update button and wait till the installation is complete.

For iPhone:

• Open the App Store.
• Search for Instagram.
• Once you see it in the results, tap on it.
• If an update is pending, you will see an update button here. Tap on that button and wait till the installation is complete.

If updating Instagram does not solve your delayed notification issue, try the next solution.

Reinstall Instagram:

In some scenarios, the update feature might not work. In that case, you should uninstall or offload the Instagram app from your phone and then install it again with the latest version.

For iPhone users, offloading the app is a better option than uninstalling because offloading will ensure that you do not lose the app’s data from your storage.

For iPhone:

• Go to the Settings App.
• Tap on General.
• Choose iPhone Storage.
• Find the Instagram app in the list.
• Then tap on it and select Delete.
• After that, install the Instagram app on your iPhone using the App Store.

For Android:

• Open up Settings on your phone.
• Go to Apps.
• Find Instagram in the list of apps that show up. Once you find it, tap on it.
• Tap on Uninstall.
• Then tap on uninstall again to confirm your action.
• Wait till the uninstallation is complete. After that, restart your phone.
• After the restart, open Google Play Store on your phone.
• Search for Instagram.
• Once it shows up in the results section, tap on it.
• Then tap on the app to open it up. You will see an install button next to it.
• Tap on the install button and wait till the installation is complete.

So these are all the solutions to fix the Delayed Notification issue with Instagram. If you have any questions or queries about this article, comment below, and we will get back to you. Also, check out our other articles on iPhone tips and tricks, Android tips and tricks, PC tips and tricks, and much more for more helpful information.