What are message requests?
On this page
When someone you don't follow messages you for the first time, the conversation waits in Requests instead of your Inbox. It stays there until you accept it or reply. The sender isn't told it's a request, and they won't see that you've read it until you accept or reply.
Who lands in Requests
- People you don't follow, in a conversation you haven't accepted or answered yet.
- Messages from people you follow go straight to your Inbox. If you follow someone later, their conversation moves to your Inbox too.
- Messages from the offtheave team always go to your Inbox.
Find your requests
- Go to Messages.
- Tap the Requests tab. The number on the tab is how many requests you have.
You also get a notification that says the person "wants to send you a message", and an email if message emails are on in Settings → Notifications.
Accept, delete or block
Opening a request lets you read it without marking it as seen. A bar under the chat gives you three choices:
- Accept moves the conversation to your Inbox and marks it read, so the sender sees Seen. Replying does the same thing.
- Delete removes the conversation for you only. If they message you again, it shows up in Requests again.
- Block stops them from messaging you, seeing your profile or finding your posts. You can undo this in Settings → Privacy.
When you message someone new
If the person doesn't follow you, your message may be sitting in their Requests. You won't see Seen until they accept or reply, so a quiet conversation doesn't always mean they ignored you.
To stop spam, there's a daily cap on how many new people one member can message. If you hit it, you'll see "You've started a lot of new conversations today". Existing conversations aren't affected.
Troubleshooting
- I got a notification but my Inbox is empty: check the Requests tab.
- A request keeps coming back: Delete only hides it for you. Block the sender to stop new messages.
- Someone is harassing me: block them, then see How do I report something?.