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Instagram notifications not working when Do Not Disturb is scheduled overnight

A common situation goes like this: notifications from Instagram work normally during the day, but after waking up in the morning, there are no alerts at all — even though messages, likes, or comments clearly arrived overnight. Once the phone is unlocked, everything suddenly appears at once.

This usually starts after setting a nightly Do Not Disturb (DND) schedule. The phone successfully silences alerts while you sleep, but Instagram notifications sometimes fail to resume properly when the schedule ends.

Why This Happens

Do Not Disturb doesn’t just mute sound. On both iOS and Android, it can temporarily pause notification delivery, limit background activity, or place apps into a restricted state to save power overnight. Instagram relies heavily on background refresh and push notification services. If the system delays reconnecting Instagram after DND turns off, notifications may remain suppressed until the app becomes active again.

In short, the phone exits Do Not Disturb — but Instagram doesn’t immediately re-register for alerts.

Step-by-Step Fixes

Check Do Not Disturb Exceptions

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to Focus or Do Not Disturb.
  3. Look for Allowed Apps or Exceptions.
  4. Add Instagram to the allowed list.

This allows notifications to pass through even while DND is active, preventing the system from pausing them entirely.

Verify Instagram Notification Permissions

  1. Open Settings → Notifications → Instagram.
  2. Make sure Allow Notifications is enabled.
  3. Enable Lock Screen and Banner alerts.

After a Focus or DND schedule change, some devices silently downgrade notification priority.

Disable Scheduled Summary (iPhone)

If Notification Summary is enabled, Instagram alerts may be bundled and delayed after overnight quiet hours.

  1. Go to Settings → Notifications → Scheduled Summary.
  2. Turn it off, or remove Instagram from the summary list.

Allow Background Activity

Instagram must stay active in the background to receive pushes.

iPhone:

  1. Settings → General → Background App Refresh.
  2. Ensure Instagram is enabled.

Android:

  1. Settings → Apps → Instagram → Battery.
  2. Select Unrestricted or Not Optimized.

Restart Notification Services

This often fixes the issue immediately.

  1. Turn Do Not Disturb off manually.
  2. Force close Instagram.
  3. Restart the phone.
  4. Open Instagram once, then lock the device again.

Opening the app forces it to reconnect to the system’s push notification service.

Optional Alternative

If the problem repeats every morning, try shortening the DND schedule by ending it 10–15 minutes earlier than your wake time. Some devices delay restoring background connections right at the transition point, and a small buffer prevents Instagram from staying stuck in a paused state.

Once Instagram successfully reconnects after Do Not Disturb ends, notifications should arrive normally again without further adjustment.