My bot does not reply to new Instagram messages

If your bot replies to people who have messaged you before, but does not answer when someone messages you for the first time, this guide explains how to fix it in under 5 minutes.

What is happening?

When someone messages you for the first time on Instagram, Meta decides which application receives that message. If at some point you connected another automation tool to your account —such as ManyChat, Chatfuel, Metricool, Buffer or another— Meta is very likely sending new messages to that tool instead of to ZeroChats.

The result: your bot cannot reply to new conversations because they never reach it. Messages from people who had already written to you before still work normally.

Important

Even if you no longer use that other tool, if you connected it in the past and never changed this setting, it keeps intercepting your new messages. You have to change it manually.

Before you start

You need:

• A computer (laptop or desktop). This setup cannot be done from the mobile app.
• Access to Meta Business Suite (business.facebook.com) with an account that is an admin of the business linked to your Instagram.
• Your Instagram account must be a professional account (Business or Creator).

How to fix it

1. Open Meta Business Suite. Go to business.facebook.com and log in with your account. In the top left, check that the name of your business appears (the one linked to your Instagram account). If you manage several businesses, click the name to switch.
2. Go to Settings. In the left side menu, click the gear icon (Settings). The “Settings” page of your business portfolio will open.
3. Find “Conversation routing”. In the left side menu of the Settings page, scroll down until you see the “Integrations” section. Click the small arrow to expand it. Inside you will find the “Conversation routing” option. Click it.
4. Select your Instagram account. In the left column, under “Profiles”, you will see your Instagram account. Click it. A panel opens on the right with two tabs: “Routing” and “Partner apps”.
5. Check which app receives new messages. In the “Routing” tab, find the “Default routing” section. There you will see which app is currently configured. If it says ManyChat (or another tool that is not ZeroChats), that is the problem.
6. Switch it to ZeroChats. Click the three-dots icon to the right of the current app and select “Edit”. A window titled “Edit routing rule” opens. In the “Send conversation to” dropdown, select the ZeroChats application —it will be named “Bot Tickeo-IG”— and click Save.

Extra step — Make sure other apps do not interfere

If you have other tools connected (even if you no longer use them), you need to make sure they cannot take conversation control away from ZeroChats. This step is especially important if you connected ManyChat, Chatfuel or another tool in the past.

7. Go to the “Partner apps” tab. Without leaving where you are, click the “Partner apps” tab (it is next to “Routing”). You will see a list of every tool connected to your Instagram account.

8. Turn off “Take control” on the other apps. Click “Manage” next to each app that is NOT ZeroChats. You will see two options with toggles:

   • “Access all conversations” — you can leave this on, it causes no problems.
   • “Take control of conversations” — this is the important one. TURN IT OFF (leave it gray). If it is on, that app can steal control of conversations that ZeroChats should handle.

   Click Save and repeat for every app that is not ZeroChats. On the ZeroChats app (“Bot Tickeo-IG”), “Take control of conversations” should stay on.

Check that it works

Find an Instagram account that has never messaged your business account. It can be a friend’s or a colleague’s. From that account, send a DM to your business Instagram with any text, for example “Hi, I’d like some info”.

Tip

If the ZeroChats bot replies automatically, everything is set up correctly. ✓

Something did not work?

I can’t find the ZeroChats application in the dropdown. This can happen if the connection between your account and ZeroChats has expired. Contact us and we’ll review it with you to reconnect the application.

I don’t see “Integrations” in the Settings side menu. Make sure you scroll down in the side menu. The Integrations section is quite far down and not visible at first glance. If it still doesn’t appear, check that the correct business is selected in the top left at business.facebook.com.

I did all the steps but the bot still doesn’t reply to new messages.

• Did you wait a few minutes after saving? Changes sometimes take a little while to apply.
• Did you test with an account that has truly never messaged you before? If that person had already written to you in the past, it doesn’t count as a test.
• Is there another app with “Take control of conversations” enabled? Review the last step of this guide.
• If nothing works, contact us and we’ll look into it together.

Need help?

If the problem persists after following these steps, contact us and we’ll review your account setup directly from zerochats.com.

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