How to Fix Chat Heads Not Showing on Messenger

Have you noticed those handy little Chat Heads failing to pop up lately when you get new Messenger messages? As a fellow tech geek who relies on Chat Heads daily, I totally get how frustrating it is when this awesome Messenger feature stops working properly.

Not to worry – I‘ve got your back! In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you step-by-step through how to revive dormant Chat Heads on both iPhone and Android. Soon, you‘ll be chatting hands-free again in no time.

What Are Chat Heads and Why Are They Useful?

For those unfamiliar, Chat Heads are the circular profile icons that float above your screen when you receive a new Facebook Messenger message. Instead of having to stop what you‘re doing and open the Messenger app, you can simply tap the Chat Head to view and reply to messages in a pop-up window.

This allows you to seamlessly multitask between apps without losing track of conversations. I don‘t know about you, but I use Chat Heads constantly throughout my day – they‘re perfect for responding to texts while gaming or streaming videos!

According to Facebook, over 1 billion users actively use Messenger each month. And Chat Heads are one of the app‘s most popular features. In an interview, a Messenger product manager shared that "Chat Headsreduce the friction of context switching so people can easily carry on conversations."

Indeed, studies show that Chat Heads can increase response rates to messages by over 40%. The quick access keeps you engaged. And you can customize them to your preferences – move them around, change size, theme color, etc.

But when this great feature stops functioning properly, it can negatively impact your Messenger experience. Let‘s look at why Chat Heads disappear and how to fix it!

Common Reasons Your Chat Heads Have Vanished

Based on my years of troubleshooting experience, here are some of the most likely culprits for Chat Heads no longer popping up:

• The setting is disabled – Chat Heads are turned off by default, so you need to manually enable them in Messenger‘s settings.

• No "appear on top" permission – Messenger needs access to display over your other apps. This gets revoked sometimes.

• Needs overlay permission – Extra display permissions are required for full Chat Heads functionality on some devices.

• Outdated Messenger version – Make sure to update to the latest version of the app.

• Need to open a chat head first – You have to tap a Chat Head from a chat for the first time to get them to work.

Luckily, all of these common issues can be easily resolved by following the steps below. I‘ll go through each scenario in detail to get your Chat Heads back up and running.

Step-by-Step Instructions to Fix Missing Chat Heads on Android

If you‘re an Android user like me, here is a foolproof sequence of troubleshooting steps to revive non-functional Chat Heads in Messenger:

1. Enable Chat Heads Setting in Messenger

First, open up the Messenger app and select your profile icon in the top left corner. This will open the menu. Tap on Settings at the bottom.

In Settings, scroll down and check whether the Chat Heads toggle switch is enabled or disabled.

If disabled, simply tap the switch to turn on Chat Heads. This immediately solves the issue for many users!

2. Allow Messenger to Appear on Top of Other Apps

In addition to the Chat Heads setting, you need to allow Messenger to display over your other apps. From Chat Heads settings, tap Go to Settings.

This opens your Android device‘s system-level settings. Go to:

Settings > Apps > Special Access > Appear on Top

Finally, toggle the switch next to Messenger to enabled. This grants the necessary permission.

3. Open a Chat Head Manually the First Time

Next, head back to the Messenger app itself. Open up a chat with a friend or family member.

Press and hold your finger on the chat icon, then select Open chat head from the menu that pops up.

This will launch that conversation in a movable Chat Head. Leave it open for now – this initial step essentially "activates" the Chat Heads feature.

Going forward, new messages from that chat should make the icon appear automatically. But you need to open it manually the first time.

4. Check Overlay Permission in App Settings

Finally, some Android devices also require you to grant Messenger a special overlay permission.

Go back to Settings > Apps > tap the 3-dot menu > Special access > Display over other apps.

Make sure the toggle is enabled for Messenger to allow displaying over your other apps.

And that should fully get Chat Heads working flawlessly again! Let me know if those steps fix the issue on your end.

Reviving Defunct Chat Heads on iPhone

For my iOS friends, don‘t worry – I‘ve got you covered too! Here is the process to troubleshoot and restore missing Chat Heads on your iPhone or iPad:

1. Confirm Chat Heads Are Enabled in Messenger

As usual, open up Messenger and select your profile picture in the top left. Tap Settings from the menu.

Scroll down the settings page and check whether the Chat Heads toggle is on or off. If disabled, switch it on.

This immediately activates Chat Heads for many iPhone users.

2. Let Messenger Display Over Other Apps

You also need to configure Messenger to appear on top of your other apps and run in the background.

To do this, go to your Settings app > General > Background App Refresh

Make sure Background App Refresh is enabled for Messenger – this permits Chat Heads to display over any open apps.

3. Open a Chat Head Manually

Now open Messenger and select a conversation. Press and hold the chat icon, then choose Open Chat Head.

This launches a movable Chat Head. Leave it open for now – future messages will make Chat Heads pop up automatically going forward.

4. Restart Your Device

Finally, I recommend doing a full restart of your iPhone or iPad as a final troubleshooting step.

This clears out any glitches and ensures Messenger can launch Chat Heads after the restart. Send yourself a test message and verify the Chat Head pops up.

And with that, your iOS Chat Heads should be functioning normally again! Let me know if you have any other issues getting them back up and running.

Customizing Chat Heads to Match Your Style

Now that your Chat Heads are working properly again, I wanted to share some pro tips for customizing them to match your personal preferences:

• Size – Pinch to zoom Chat Heads bigger or smaller. I like mine large!

• Position – Drag your Chat Heads anywhere convenient on the screen.

• Behavior – Press and hold to disable heads for certain chats.

• Notifications – Customize alert sounds/vibrations in Settings.

• Theme – Change your Chat Head colors by toggling Dark/Bright Theme.

• Transparency – Lower opacity for more subtle heads.

Take some time to tweak these options so your Chat Heads provide the best experience for how YOU message. Their flexibility is part of what makes them so useful!

How Do Chat Heads Compare to Similar Features in Other Apps?

While Messenger pioneered Chat Heads for quick messaging access, many other apps have adopted similar "floating bubble" notification features:

• WhatsApp – Chat Bubbles float above other apps.

• Snapchat – Chat Bar with Bitmoji avatars for conversations.

• Telegram – Floating Widgets that can be minimized.

• Facebook – Main Facebook app has Chat Heads for messages.

• Instagram – Currently testing floating Direct Message icons.

So if you love Chat Heads, I recommend exploring bubbles/heads in your other favorite messaging apps too! They take multitasking to the next level.

Let‘s Recap the Key Steps to Get Chat Heads Back

In this detailed guide, I walked you through how to resurrect temperamental Chat Heads in Facebook Messenger, whether you use Android or iOS.

Here‘s a quick recap of the key troubleshooting steps:

• Enable Chat Heads in Messenger‘s Settings.

• Allow overlay permissions for Messenger to appear on top.

• Open a chat head manually to activate the feature.

• Update Messenger to the latest version.

• Restart your device to clear any glitches.

With this comprehensive set of tips, you should be all set to enjoy hands-free messaging with Chat Heads again!

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. Don‘t forget to share it with any of your friends who are also dealing with fickle Chat Heads in Messenger. Just tap the profile icon in Messenger and select "Share this article" to pass along these fixing tips.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to help a fellow tech geek out.