The Facebook-owned social media giant has been releasing quite a few noteworthy features in recent times. And its Direct Message feature seems to have benefited the most. Be it the incorporation of new reactions or the addition of Disappearing Messages, there’s a lot to talk about. On the flip side though, it isn’t shy from its fair share of issues as well.
There have been numerous complaints from the users that when someone shares a post as a Direct Message, they aren’t able to view it. Rather, it just displays it as Post Unavailable. In this guide, we will make you aware of all the plausible reasons for this issue and more importantly how to rectify it once and for all. So without further ado, let’s get started.
Follow that Account/Page
The most common culprit behind this issue is the fact that you aren’t following the profile whose post has been shared with you. So head over to that account, hit the Follow button, and wait for the owner of that account to accept your request. Once they do, you should be able to view that post.
However, there have been a few users who are facing this issue even when a public’s page content is shared (that doesn’t require you to follow them in order to view their post). If you are also on the same ‘page’, then here are some other workarounds that you should try out.
Blocked by Admin
It doesn’t matter if the account is public or whether you are following it or not, if the admin of that page has blocked you, then you wouldn’t be able to view their content. In this regard, there are two different approaches that you could opt for, both of which require de-associating yourself from your primary account.
First up, if that post is shared from a private account, then you would have to create/log in with another account and send them the Follow request. If and when it gets accepted, you might then be able to view that content. On the other hand, if that post is from a public account, then just sign out from your current account and you could then view that post as an anonymous user.
Age-restricted contents
If the post is NSFW, violent in nature, or falls under the adult audience domain, then Instagram will put it as age-restricted content. So if you’re an adult and wish to view this post, then you would have to verify your age (if you haven’t done so already):
- Launch the Instagram App and head over to your Profile.
- Then go to Settings > Accounts > Personal Information.
- Refer to the birthday section and then tap the Update on Facebook button.
- It will now load your Facebook Edit Profile page and you could then set up your DOB accordingly.
Once that is done, go back to that post and see if the issue has been rectified or not. If it is still there, then here are some other methods that might help you fix the Instagram Chat/DM Post Unavailable issue.
Deleted/Archived Post
If you are viewing that DM after a few days or weeks, then that content might have deleted or archived. If it’s the former one, then there’s nothing that you could do from your end.
On the other hand, if the post has been archived, then it’s up to the sole discretion of the admin if he or she makes that content public again. As and when they do they do so, you would be able to view that post.
Screenshot/Screen Record
If none of the above methods managed to give out a desirable result, then there’s always an option to fall back to the native method. While this isn’t a fix and rather a temporary workaround, but you would at least be able to view that content. It’s just that you would have to persuade the sender to carry you this task.
If that post is an image, then they could easily share it as a screenshot. However, when it comes to a video post, the sender might have to screen record the entire duration of that video. Or you may also refer them to a third-party app that would do all the manual work on their behalf.
Conclusion
So these were some of the methods through which you might be able to fix the Instagram Chat/DM Post Unavailable error. Do keep in mind that these issues aren’t generally related to Instagram servers or due to the usage of an older build of the app since the other components of the service are functioning as expected.
But just to be on the safer side, it is always recommended to be on the latest build [Android | iPhone] and also verify that the servers are indeed running along the expected lines.
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