Facebook recently disabled some features on Messenger and Instagram due to new rules imposed by EU. In this guide we will tell you about the “some features not available” and how you can fix it.
What is the “some features not available” error?
As you can see above the error shows up as a message in your chats inbox on Messenger and Instagram in case you live in Europe. Full error message would say:
Some features not available
This is to respect new rules for messaging services in Europe. We’re working to bring them back.
Facebook has even posted a note on Facebook Developers blog that mentions the update
“As part of our efforts to comply with new privacy rules in Europe, we’re making updates that will impact some developers and businesses that use our Messenger API. Beginning December 16th, several Messenger APIs will be unavailable for developers and businesses in Europe, and for people in Europe who connect with businesses globally.”
Lets look at some of the features that might be affected for European users.
- Nicknames for friends are disabled
- Polls on Instagram and Messenger won’t work
- Stickers are unavailable for Instagram chats
- Personalized replies on Messenger bots aren’t available
- No filters available to be sent through direct messages
- Inability to send certain files through both the apps
How to fix “some features not available”
Facebook has said they are working on a fix to bring back the features as soon as possible but meanwhile they have referred users to their Help Center so users can track which features have been affected.
Meanwhile our recommendation is to maybe switch to WhatsApp or any of the other chat apps available on AppStore or Google Playstore that are not affected by such regulations. This would be a good way to resolve the situation while Facebook figures out their own solution to this problem.
If you have any chat apps to recommend please post in the comments below to share with others.
I love understanding how different technologies work and explaining them to people. From tech guides to opinions, everything is interesting to me. Other than that, I enjoy writing about various science-related topics and conversing with people.