When Facebook introduced Facebook Messenger as a separate app, things were looking bleak but these days the app is just like any other mainstream instant messenger with a plethora of features and communication methods to choose from. If Messenger is not working on your iPhone for you, if you can’t access messages or make calls, or if you get logged out of your profile for no reason, check the steps we listed below.
The app is quite stable on iOS (like the majority of apps on this platform) but some issues appear from time to time and, in my experience, usually the problem is on Facebook’s side and it has nothing to do with your iPhone. However, it’s worth trying some troubleshooting steps, just to be sure.
Table of contents:
- Restart your iPhone
- Check Messenger permissions
- Sign out and sign in again with your Facebook account
- Reinstall Facebook Messenger
Can’t open messages in Facebook Messenger for iPhone
1. Restart your iPhone
The first thing you should do is restart your iPhone. After the device boots, try running Facebook Messenger again and look for improvements. Also, navigate to App Store and make sure that Facebook Messenger is up to date.
To do so, open App Store and tap on your Profile at the top. Once there, under the Upcoming Automatic Updates section, tap Update All.
Once the app is updated, try again. In case issues continue reoccurring, check permission settings.
2. Check Messenger permissions
The next thing you should focus on is granting permissions to Facebook Messenger. Of course, we can’t forget about the network connectivity. Make sure that your iPhone is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network. If you use mobile data, make sure to allow Cellular Data usage in Messenger settings. In case you have some connectivity issues, check our article for applicable solutions.
Once that’s sorted out, let’s check permissions for Facebook Messenger in System Settings:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Messenger.
- Make sure to grant Microphone, Camera, Background App Refresh, and Cellular Data permissions.
- Open Facebook Messenger and check if the problem is still there.
If Messenger is still not working on your iPhone, sign out and sign in again with your Facebook account.
3. Sign out and sign in again with your Facebook account
While we tend to cover the user side in our troubleshooting articles, in this case, Facebook Messenger issues are on the server side. This means that Facebook is responsible for the problem and not particular settings on your device. Nonetheless, you can try two more steps before reporting the problem to Facebook.
The first step is to sign out of Facebook Messenger and, after a restart, sign in again. To sign out of Facebook Messenger, follow these instructions:
- Open Facebook Messenger.
- Tap on your Profile picture and open Account Settings.
- This will take you to the Settings page in Safari.
- Log in with your Facebook credentials and open Security and login.
- Under the “Where you’re logged in” section, tap See more.
- Locate your iPhone on the list of devices you use to access Facebook and Messenger.
- Tap on the 3-dot menu next to your iPhone and select Log Out.
If you can’t find your iPhone, just swipe to the bottom and tap Log out of all sessions. The drawback is that you’ll need to sign in again on all your devices.
4. Reinstall Facebook Messenger
If the previous step failed to resolve the problem and Facebook Messenger is still not working on your iPhone, reinstall the app. Starting from scratch with the latest iteration of Facebook Messenger for iOS is the final troubleshooting step we can suggest.
Here’s how to reinstall Facebook Messenger on your iPhone:
- From the Home Screen or App Drawer, tap and hold on Facebook Messenger.
- From the pop-up menu, select Remove App.
- Then, tap Delete App.
- Restart your iPhone and navigate to App Store.
- Look for Messenger and install it.
- Sign in with your credentials and look for improvements.
Still, if that doesn’t help, make sure to report the problem to Facebook. The DownDetector might tell you if the service is temporarily down.
If you’re experiencing further Facebook Messenger crashes on your iOS device, you can discover this article. Thank you for reading and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. We always welcome your feedback.
