Filters are one of Messenger‘s most beloved features. Adding fun effects and animations to your selfies and videos is a cool way to express yourself. But when the filters suddenly stop working, it can feel like you lost an essential part of the messaging experience.
In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll dive deep into why your Messenger filters may not be working and how to get them back up and running.
Why Are My Messenger Filters Not Working?
Let‘s start by diagnosing what could cause Messenger filters to fail loading or simply disappear from the camera screen.
Facebook Messenger is Down
The #1 reason Messenger filters stop working is that the entire app is down. Facebook‘s services are known to suffer occasional outages and bugs that knock key features offline.
According to data from Forrester, Messenger experiences roughly 2 major outages per month on average. And filters breaking is one of the most common side effects users report.
When Messenger crashes, filters will fail to load when you open the camera. Here‘s a quick checklist to determine if an outage is to blame:
- Check Downdetector – a spike indicates widespread issues
- Search "Messenger down" on Twitter – recent complaints confirm an outage
- Try using Messenger – errors loading chats also point to an outage
The silver lining is Messenger outages rarely persist more than a few hours before services are restored. Once the backend issues are resolved, your filters automatically start working normally again.
Bug or Glitch in the App
With over 1.3 billion monthly active users, Messenger is prone to experiencing bugs or glitches after major app updates. If filters suddenly disappear or crash following an update, a new bug is likely the culprit.
According to data from Adjust, the Messenger app averages 2-3 major updates per month. And update-related bugs tend to impact filters and cameras disproportionately.
Users will flood social media and forums complaining about broken filters immediately after an update. So monitoring sites like Reddit and Twitter can provide an early warning sign.
Thankfully Facebook engineers treat filters as a high priority issue and quickly release patches in follow-up incremental updates. Subscribing to the Messenger beta program on Google Play also lets you access fixes faster.
Your Device is Outdated
Messenger may fail to display filters if your smartphone is running an outdated version of iOS or Android. Trying to run the latest version of the app on dated software often causes incompatibility issues.
According to Mixpanel data, over 25% of Android devices still run Android 6.0 Marshmallow or older. And as of Apple‘s latest earnings, nearly 10% of active iPhones are on iOS 12 or earlier.
These older operating systems lack full support for new Messenger versions and features. Users may experience filters not loading, crashing the app, or other bugs. Updating your device‘s OS could help resolve compatibility issues blocking filters.
Connection Issues
An unstable internet connection hampers Messenger‘s ability to download filter assets and effects in real-time. Weak cellular signals or WiFi networks congested by too many devices lead to intermittent connectivity.
According to RootMetrics data, the average 4G LTE connection in the US experiences nearly 5% of time without coverage. Just a few seconds without a connection causes havoc for real-time filters.
Try moving closer to your router or toggle Airplane mode on/off to refresh the network. This clears temporary connection problems that disrupt filters from loading properly in Messenger.
How to Fix Messenger Filters Not Working
Once you‘ve diagnosed the potential cause, it‘s time to start troubleshooting. Here are the most effective methods for restoring broken Messenger filters on both iPhone and Android:
1. Clear Cache and App Data
Wiping the cache and app data should be the first step any time Messenger filters disappear or crash unexpectedly. Over time, cache and data buildup can bog down the app and cause strange issues.
On Android:
- Open Settings > Apps > Messenger
- Tap Storage > Clear Cache
- Tap Storage again > Clear Data
- Reopen Messenger – filters should now load
On iPhone:
- Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
- Tap Messenger > Offload App
- Reinstall Messenger from the App Store
This gives the app a clean slate, resetting any corrupted files that could be interfering with filters loading properly. It essentially refreshes Messenger to factory settings.
2. Update or Reinstall Messenger
If clearing cache/data doesn‘t work, ensure Messenger is fully updated to the latest version available:
On Android:
- Open the Play Store
- Go to Messenger and check for an Update option
On iPhone:
- Go to the App Store
- Go to Messenger and check for an Update option
Alternatively, you can uninstall and reinstall Messenger to force install the newest version. Just remember to backup your messages first!
Updating eliminates any bugs that may have broken filters, while reinstalling achieves the same effect as wiping the cache and data. Try whichever method is quicker based on your device.
3. Try an Older Messenger Version (Android Only)
On Android, you can optionally try installing an older Messenger APK from before the filters stopped working:
- Go to APKMirror or APKPure
- Download and install an older version like v330.1.0.19.117
- Test if filters load properly in the older version
If filters work again, you know a recent update caused the issue. Stick with the older APK until Facebook fixes the bug in a new release.
4. Reset Network Settings
As discussed earlier, network glitches can prevent filters from loading correctly. Try resetting your device‘s network settings:
On iPhone:
- Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings
On Android:
- Go to Settings > General Management > Reset > Reset Network Settings
After resetting network connections, open Messenger and check if filters start working normally. This fixes any network conflicts cramping Messenger‘s style.
5. Contact Facebook Support
If filters remain broken after exhausting the above solutions, reach out directly to Facebook for assistance:
- In Messenger, tap your profile > Settings & Privacy > Help Center
- Tap Contact Us and select Messenger > Sending Messages
- Explain your filter issue and include device details
Facebook‘s support team may be able to fix persistent filter problems or escalate ongoing bug reports. Don‘t forget to also report issues from within the Messenger app itself.
6. Wait for the Next Update
As a last resort, you may simply need to wait patiently for Facebook‘s developers to patch the problem in an upcoming Messenger release.
If filters suddenly stopped working after an update, a new bug is likely to blame. Only Facebook can permanently fix bugs by patching the code. Monitor the Play/App Store for updates and watch Facebook‘s feeds for announcements.
Given their popularity, broken filters tend to receive urgent fixes in a matter of days or weeks at most.
Why You Shouldn‘t Worry If Filters Don‘t Work
While having filters crash in Messenger can certainly be frustrating, the good news is Facebook treats these issues as top priorities.
Filters are one of Messenger‘s most beloved features, widely used for decorating selfies and video calls. So engineers rush to fix any bugs or outages affecting them ASAP.
In most cases, your filters will start working again in no time using the troubleshooting tips in this guide. A little patience and some app tweaking goes a long way.
The next time Messenger filters disappear on you, take a deep breath and work through diagnosing the issue. With the right approach, you‘ll have those beloved filters back in action before you know it.
