Instagram recently went through some major changes particularly in the DMs (direct messages) department following efforts from Facebook to merge all the chat apps under their umbrella.

Users are now able to send messages to contacts on Facebook Messenger without needing to leave the Instagram app. Additionally, you also get a bunch of new themes similar to the ones found on Messenger.

Then there are the ‘little’ things that make chatting a whole lot more enjoyable like message reacts and of course the swipe to reply feature. Although the latter stopped working apparently due to a recent bad update.

This is pretty clear from several complaints on social media. Users are perplexed as to why the Instagram swipe to reply feature was done away with when it was working perfectly fine.

instagram-swipe-to-reply-not-working
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Anyone else’s swipe to reply thingy on Instagram DMs not working? It’s driving me nuts.
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Why did Instagram remove the swipe to reply option for individual messages?
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Moreover, the issue is seemingly limited to Android users alone across almost every device as there haven’t been any complaints from the iOS gang.

Nonetheless, it is worth mentioning here that Instagram is pretty prone to random bugs and issues, particularly on Android. For example, we previously highlighted how its Android app started crashing recently for users around the world

From this, it is safe to conclude that the issue is in fact a bug and not Instagram’s deliberate undoing. After all, the removal of a feature as crucial as swipe to reply will definitely not go down well with anyone and hence will be nonsensical.

instagram-swipe-to-reply-android

Nonetheless, if you are one of the users looking for a quick fix for the problem, then you will be pleased to know that the issue has been resolved with the latest Instagram beta, at least for some users.

I myself signed up for beta testing and found the swipe to reply working just fine on it, much to my relief. If you wish to do the same, then you would first want to head over to the Google Play Store.

Next, search up Instagram and hit the “Join” button under the “Join the beta” section. You will then get an update following which you will hop onto Instagram’s beta bandwagon.

instagram-beta-playstore

Do keep in mind though that the beta version may invite some unwarranted bugs. But hey, it’s still a small price to pay to revive the swipe to reply feature on Instagram.

However, if you prefer the security of a stable build, then you need not wait for long as the fix has already been merged into beta and hence should make it to stable pretty soon.

PiunikaWeb started purely as an investigative tech journalism website with a main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Fox News, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, MacRumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Zohaib Ahmed
824 Posts

Simply love being surrounded by technology as it's a constant reminder of how far humans have advanced as a race. Every new development feels exciting, which I convey to others through writing. And after a day's work, gaming just feels therapeutic.

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