How to fix blacked-out Instagram messages

Publish date: 2024-07-10

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It's not unusual for glitches to pop up from time to time in mobile apps, and Instagram seems to have its own bug as a result of a recent update. Many users have reported finding that some or all of their instant messages are "blacked out," appearing as a black box in the app. 

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Obviously, this makes it impossible to read the messages, a very frustrating development. If you're afflicted by this development, there's good news: It's very easy to fix all on your own.  

How to fix blacked-out Instagram messages

Because this problem was caused by a recent update to the Instagram app, the permanent remedy is to update to the latest version of Instagram, as a newer version of the app will have addressed the glitch. 

Generally, your phone should install updates as they become available, but you can force an update if it's available but hasn't been installed on your phone yet. Here is how to update an app on your iPhone or on your Android phone. 

If there's no update, or the latest update hasn't solved your problem, there's also a very simple workaround that can eliminate the blacked out messages: Just turn on dark mode on your phone. 

If you have an iPhone, start the Settings app and then tap Display & Brightness. Tap Dark, and then return to Instagram to read your messages. 

To read blacked out messages in Instagram, set your iPhone to dark mode. Dave Johnson

On Android, the way to enable dark mode varies depending on which OS and handset you have, but for most phones you can start the Settings app and tap Display. In the Appearance section, turn on Dark theme by swiping the button to the right. You should now see the messages in Instagram.   

Most Android phones have a dark mode control in the Settings app. Dave Johnson
Dave Johnson Freelance Writer Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider. Read more Read less

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