---
title: "Instagram Message Requests: Where Lead DMs Hide"
slug: instagram-message-requests
author: "Leonardo Maldonado"
category: "Channels"
articleType: how-to-guide
tags: ["Instagram message requests","hidden requests","Instagram DMs"]
publishedAt: 2026-11-12T16:00:00.000Z
updatedAt: 2026-11-12T16:00:00.000Z
canonical: https://setluca.com/blog/instagram-message-requests
---# Instagram Message Requests: Where Lead DMs Hide

> Instagram message requests are DMs from people you aren't connected to, held in a separate Requests folder until you accept them. Requests with filtered words go one level deeper, into hidden requests, with the text covered. Check both folders at least once every 24 hours, accept the real leads, and reply to what they asked.

## Key takeaways

- A new lead who has never interacted with you usually lands in message requests, not in your Chats.
- Requests are text only until you accept: no photos, videos or audio messages yet.
- Hidden Words sends requests with filtered words, and some likely scams, to a hidden requests folder. Real leads end up there too.
- Check at least once every 24 hours. In our illustrative example, weekly checks left 18 of 21 requests waiting more than a day.

---

Instagram message requests are where a lot of first-time leads wait, sometimes for days, in a folder one tap away from your main inbox. Someone watches a reel, taps your profile and writes "Do you coach beginners?" If you've never connected, that message doesn't land in your Chats. This guide covers where requests come from, how to see them, where hidden messages on Instagram end up, and how often to check.

## What are Instagram message requests?

Message requests are messages from people you aren't connected with, held apart from your Chats until you accept them. Instagram's own feature page says these messages arrive as requests and can only contain text. Messages from people you follow go straight to Chats.

Meta describes the rule in two slightly different ways. Instagram's feature page frames it by whether you follow or are connected to the sender. Meta's developer documentation frames it by whether the sender follows your account. Either way, a brand-new lead who found one reel is the person most likely to land in Requests.

## Where do Instagram message requests come from?

Requests come from anyone who writes to you without an existing connection, and for a coach that's mostly new leads. The usual sources are:

- Someone who found a reel or post and messaged without following.
- A person who searched your niche and tapped Message on your profile.
- Someone who added you to a group chat. If you aren't connected, Instagram sends the group to requests.
- An offensive story reply from someone you don't follow, which goes to hidden requests.
- Accounts you've restricted. Instagram moves their DMs to requests automatically.
- Spam and scam accounts, which Hidden Words tries to filter out.

### What decides where a request lands?

Your message controls decide. Meta added them in 2020, and they let requests go to your Chats list, your Message Requests folder, or nowhere at all. Our guide to [Instagram DM settings](/blog/instagram-dm-settings) covers how to set them.

## How do you see message requests on Instagram?

Open your DM inbox and look for Requests, which sits apart from your main Chats list. Instagram's feature page confirms that requests must be accepted before they show up in Chats. The Requests entry has moved between app versions, so check your own app.

### A five-step requests check

1. Open your DMs and go to Requests.
2. Scan each preview. Requests are text only, so the first line usually tells you what the person wants.
3. Open the hidden requests folder and tap to uncover anything that looks like a real person.
4. Accept the real leads, delete the clear junk, and block or report anything abusive.
5. Reply to accepted leads, starting with the exact thing they asked.

Step 5 is where the value is. Our playbook on [how to respond to Instagram DMs from leads](/blog/how-to-respond-to-instagram-dms-from-leads) covers what to say first.

## Where are hidden messages on Instagram?

Hidden messages on Instagram are message requests that Hidden Words filtered into a separate hidden requests folder. Requests with offensive words, phrases or emojis go there, and the text stays covered until you tap to uncover it. In 2022 Meta widened the filter to terms aimed at scam and spam requests.

### Why real leads end up hidden

Buyers swear when they're frustrated, so "I'm so damn tired of starting over" is a lead, not abuse. Meta hasn't published its list of spam terms, so check the folder even if you never switched the feature on.

## Should you accept, delete, block or report a request?

Accept anything from a real person you'd talk to, delete obvious junk, and block or report only abuse, threats or scams. Accepting moves the conversation into your Chats. Instagram's feature page also says anyone you've accepted a message from can start an audio or video call with you.

| Action | Use it when | What changes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Accept | A real lead, client or peer wrote to you | The chat moves into Chats and media and calls open up |
| Delete | Spam, bots or an obvious mistake | The request leaves your folder |
| Block | Harassment, or someone you never want to hear from | They can't send you requests or add you to groups |
| Report | Scams, threats or abuse | You flag the account to Instagram |

### When should you hesitate before accepting?

Slow down when a request asks for money, shares a strange link, or claims to come from Instagram itself. Check the account's profile and posts first, and if it still looks wrong, delete or report it.

## What can a sender do before you accept?

Before you accept, a sender can only send text. Instagram says they can't send photos, videos or audio messages until then. Meta's 2024 teen messaging post describes the same limit. Audio and video calls open up once you've accepted their message.

What about read status? Meta's developer documentation says request messages aren't marked as Seen until you accept them. That gives you room to read a request and think before the sender knows you've looked.

For leads, that has a practical cost. A lead can't send a screenshot of their training log yet. If they write "can I show you something," accept first. On a professional account, an accepted request is a business thread, and our guide to [business chat on Instagram](/blog/instagram-business-chat) explains what the lead sees there.

## Why can't some leads message you at all?

When a lead can't message you at all, the cause is usually the sender's settings, and teen accounts are the biggest example. By default, teens under 16, or under 18 in certain countries, can only be messaged by people they follow or are connected to.

For a coach who sells to adults, the practical rule is simple. If someone in your requests seems to be a minor, don't sell to them. And if you blocked someone in the past, Instagram stops their requests entirely.

## How often should you check Instagram message requests?

Check at least once every 24 hours, and twice a day if your content regularly brings in people who don't follow you. A lead who wrote yesterday still remembers why they wrote. Hidden requests need fewer checks, so two or three times a week is enough.

Twice a day suits most coaches: morning and evening, at fixed times on your calendar. Our guide to [DM response time and speed to lead](/blog/dm-response-time-speed-to-lead) explains why the first hours count. Our post on [why leads ghost you](/blog/why-leads-ghost-you) covers what happens when they wait too long.

## Can a DM tool reply to Instagram message requests?

A DM tool can reply to Instagram message requests only after the person messages your professional account first. That holds for tools on Meta's API, its official connection for business tools. Once an app sends a reply, the conversation moves to the General folder. A tool sees a new non-follower's message in the same Requests folder you do.

- Most replies must go out within 24 hours of the person's last action.
- Messages that arrive through the API aren't marked as Read in the Instagram app inbox.
- Apps using Instagram's messaging APIs must give people a way to reach a real person.

### What should you ask a vendor?

Meta doesn't publish how each vendor treats your Requests folder, so ask each one and test with a second account, including with us. Replying to requests doesn't change [how many DMs you can send on Instagram per day](/blog/how-many-dms-can-you-send-on-instagram-per-day). Our guide to [what Meta allows for DM automation](/blog/what-meta-allows-for-dm-automation) covers the wider rules.

## A worked example: one week of message requests

Here's what checking frequency does to wait times for Theo, a fictional career coach (illustrative). About 21 of his weekly DMs land in message requests. If requests arrive evenly and he checks every T hours, a request waits T / 2 hours on average.

| How often Theo checks | Average wait | Requests waiting over 24 hours (of 21) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Once a week (T = 168) | 84 hours, or 3.5 days | 144 / 168 = 86%, about 18 |
| Every 2 days (T = 48) | 24 hours | 24 / 48 = 50%, about 10 or 11 |
| Once a day (T = 24) | 12 hours | None |
| Twice a day (T = 12) | 6 hours | None |

Moving from weekly to twice-daily checks cuts the average wait from 84 hours to 6. It costs two short checks a day.

## Where does SetLuca fit with message requests?

SetLuca replies to people who wrote to you first, within minutes at any hour, paced like a person and inside Meta's reply window. It never messages anyone cold. It qualifies leads with the sales framework you pick and books the call on your calendar or booking link.

Auto-send is on by default on every channel, and you can switch any channel to review. One honest limit: a great human setter still reads hard, emotional conversations better.

SetLuca books the call, and you take it and close. Ask SetLuca support how your setup handles threads still sitting in Requests.

## Your daily Instagram message requests routine

Instagram message requests are where many new leads wait, so treat the folder as a second inbox. Set message controls so non-followers reach Requests. Check Requests twice a day and hidden requests a few times a week. Accept real people, reply to what they asked, and delete the rest. For the wider picture of turning those conversations into clients, see our guide on [how to get coaching clients on Instagram](/blog/get-coaching-clients-on-instagram).


## FAQ

### Where are message requests on Instagram?

They're in a Requests folder inside your DM inbox, separate from your main Chats list. Messages from people you aren't connected to wait there until you accept them. Instagram moves the entry point between app versions, so if you can't spot it, check near the top of your inbox or search Instagram's in-app help.

### How do I see hidden messages on Instagram?

Open the hidden requests folder. Instagram puts message requests there when they contain words, phrases or emojis on your Hidden Words list, or likely scam terms. The text stays covered until you tap to uncover it. You can then accept, delete or report each one. Check it a few times a week.

### Does someone know if I've seen their message request?

Meta's developer documentation says request messages aren't marked as Seen until you accept them. That lets you read a request and decide before the sender knows. After you accept, your read receipt setting applies, and you can turn read receipts off. Meta hasn't published what a sender sees if you delete a request.

### What happens when I accept a message request?

The conversation moves out of requests into your Chats, and normal messaging opens up. The person can send photos and videos, and they can call you. On a professional account, Meta's developer documentation says you can then move the conversation to the Primary or General folder, whichever suits how you sort leads.

### Can a DM tool reply to Instagram message requests?

A tool on Meta's official API, its connection for business tools, can reply once the person has messaged your professional account. Meta's documentation says the conversation then moves to the General folder. Most replies must go out within 24 hours of the lead's last action. Ask each vendor how their tool treats requests, and test it first.


## Sources

1. [Instagram, "Instagram Direct Messenger: Video Chat & DMs." Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://about.instagram.com/features/direct)
2. [Meta, "Say Hi to Messenger: Introducing New Messaging Features for Instagram," 2020. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://about.fb.com/news/2020/09/new-messaging-features-for-instagram/)
3. [Instagram, "Introducing new tools to protect our community from abuse," 2021. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/introducing-new-tools-to-protect-our-community-from-abuse)
4. [Meta, "Updates to How We Protect People on Instagram From Abuse," 2022, updated 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://about.fb.com/news/2022/10/protecting-people-on-instagram-from-abuse/)
5. [Instagram, "Introducing the 'Restrict' Feature to Protect Against Bullying," 2019. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/stand-up-against-bullying-with-restrict)
6. [Meta, "Introducing Stricter Message Settings for Teens on Instagram and Facebook," 2024. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://about.fb.com/news/2024/01/introducing-stricter-message-settings-for-teens-on-instagram-and-facebook/)
7. [Meta for Developers, "Instagram Messaging: Overview," 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/instagram-messaging/overview)
8. [Meta for Developers, "Instagram API with Instagram Login: Send Messages," 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/instagram-platform/instagram-api-with-instagram-login/messaging-api)
9. [Meta for Developers, "Messenger Platform and IG Messaging API policy," 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/messenger-platform/policy)
10. [SetLuca, "Pricing," last updated 2026-10-21. Retrieved 2026-10-26.](https://setluca.com/pricing)

---

Published by SetLuca.