How to Send Messages on Instagram Without the Instagram App
From texting friends to watching an endless feed of photos and reels, the Instagram app offers it all. However, if you find it to be a huge time-waster and decide to uninstall it, there is one problem you might encounter – losing the ability to DM friends. But don't worry, Facebook has recently released a feature that allows you to text your Instagram friends using the Facebook Messenger app and vice versa. This means you can uninstall the Instagram app and still message your Instagram friends. Let's see how.
How to Connect Facebook Messenger to Instagram
You can easily connect your Facebook and Instagram accounts in the Accounts Center, either on Facebook or Instagram app. The steps are largely the same, so you can choose the platform that suits you best. Here's how:
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Open the Facebook Messenger app on your phone and tap the avatar on the top left corner to open app settings. Scroll down and find Account settings.
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On the Account Settings page, scroll down and find Accounts Center. Tap Set up Accounts Center to proceed.
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You will be directed to a login page where you need to enter your Instagram credentials to authenticate and link your account with Facebook Messenger. Simply enter your username and password to proceed.
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Press Continue and tap Yes, Finish Setup.
That's it! Your Facebook and Instagram accounts are now linked. You can find your Instagram friends in the Messenger app by simply searching in the search bar. The contact will be labeled as “Instagram” to distinguish them from your Facebook contacts.
When you send a message from Facebook Messenger to Instagram, it will appear as a normal chat in the Instagram app. However, it will be labeled as “Facebook” to distinguish it from other Instagram chats. In some cases, if you are contacting someone for the first time, the message request may go straight to the Message Requests folder. Other than that, there are no issues with cross-app messaging.
Final Thoughts
This is a quick and convenient way to connect your Facebook and Instagram accounts for cross-app messaging. It is especially useful if you don't frequently use the Instagram app but still need to stay in contact with your friends on Instagram. This feature allows you to achieve that without sacrificing any convenience.
If you ever wish to remove this functionality in the future, you can easily do so by following the guide on how to remove Facebook Messenger from Instagram. What do you think? Let me know on Twitter.
Also Read: 7 Best Instagram Reel Editing Apps to Create Viral Videos
Update (18 Nov 2023): Instagram and Facebook Messenger no longer support cross-communication. It is no longer possible to connect Instagram to Facebook Messenger.

Jim's passion for Apple products ignited in 2007 when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. This was a canon event in his life. Noticing a lack of iPad-focused content that is easy to understand even for “tech-noob”, he decided to create Tabletmonkeys in 2011.
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