Have you ever tried to send a message to someone on TikTok only to receive an error message stating that you can’t send messages due to the user’s privacy settings? If so, this article is for you. It will provide you with detailed information about the problem and offer possible solutions.
The main issue is that the user has changed their privacy settings, which prevents anyone who is not their friend from sending them messages.
To solve this issue, there are two possible ways. First, you can follow the user and ask them to follow you back so that you can send them a message. Alternatively, you can request that the user change their account settings to allow receiving messages from anyone.
TikTok has implemented various privacy features to protect the privacy of its users, particularly the large number of young users on the platform, and to combat bullying and scams.
So to help you understand how the message privacy settings work, this article will explain why this issue happens, how the settings work, and how you can solve this problem.
Please read this article in detail to understand more.
Why Can’t I Send Messages On TikTok?
As already stated, the main reason that you can’t send messages because of the user’s privacy setting in TikTok is that the user has a limit on Who can send messages to them.
There are mainly three settings for this limitation.
Everyone
It is the default setting for messages in TikTok.
When you first create an account, the default message settings will be that Everyone can send you messages.
You can change it to other settings later.
Friends
You can change the message settings to friends so that only your friends can send you messages.
No One
This can also be chosen for the settings.
You can change the settings from Everyone to No One so that you do not receive any messages from any user on TikTok.
Ok, so how do you change these settings?
Also Read: How To Send Direct Messages On TikTok?
How To Change Message Settings In TikTok?
To change the message settings in TikTok, follow the below steps.
Step 1: Open the TikTok Application
Open the TikTok app on your device.
Log into your account if you haven’t already.
Step 2: Go To the Profile Section
Next, go to the profile section by clicking the profile button on the bottom-right part of the screen.
Step 3: Click The Hamburger Icon
From the profile page, you can click the hamburger icon on the top-right corner of the screen.
Step 4: Go To Settings And Privacy
It will now show more options where you can see the ‘Settings and Privacy’ option.
Click the button to open up the Settings and Privacy page of TikTok.
Step 5: Select Privacy
Among the various options on the settings and privacy page, click the Privacy button and open the privacy settings page.
Step 6: Click ‘Messaging’
Here, you will see many options related to the account’s privacy.
Scroll down to find the ‘Messaging and click on it.
Step 7: Click “Messaging” again
Again click on Messaging.
Step 8: Select the option you want
With the above steps, you can set up who can send you messages on TikTok.
In this case, we do not know if the user to whom you want to send messages has set to receive messages from friends or disabled the messages.
So to solve this issue, we need to consider both conditions.
Also Read: How To Bring Chat To The Top On TikTok?
How To Fix Can’t Send Messages Because Of User’s Privacy Setting In TikTok
Possible Solutions for the “Can’t Send Messages Because of User’s Privacy Setting” Issue in TikTok
If you are unable to send messages to a user on TikTok because of their privacy settings, you can try a few possible solutions.
Follow The User In TikTok And Ask Them To Follow You Back
This solution is particularly because the user has only enabled messages from friends.
In such a case, you can follow the user to their profile and click the Follow button.
After that, you can reach out to the user and ask them to follow you back.
This will make both of you friends with each other and hence allow you to send messages to the user.
But what if the user has set up to not receive any messages from anyone?
Ask The User To Enable The Message Settings To Allow Anyone/Friends To Send Them Messages
This solution is the only way you can solve the issue.
You can reach out to the person and ask them to change the setting to allow anyone/friends to send them messages.
If they agree to change the settings and let anyone send them messages, you can now send them messages.
But if they only changed the setting to allow friends to send them messages, you can follow the first solution by following them and, in return, ask them to follow you back.
Also Read: How To Disable Chat From Users You Don’t Follow?
How Do I Change Privacy Settings On TikTok DM?
TikTok is one of the largest social media platforms, but it can be a breeding ground for bad actors who use it to scam or harass others.
To combat this, TikTok has implemented several privacy features within its app.
For instance, users can choose who can send them messages.
Initially, when you create a TikTok account, anyone can send you a message.
However, you can easily change this setting by following the steps outlined in the ‘Change Message Settings in TikTok’ section of this article.
To find the section, simply scroll up.
By taking advantage of these privacy features, you can make your TikTok experience safer and more enjoyable.
So, take a few minutes to review and adjust your settings today.
Why Can’t I Send TikToks To Someone?
If you are unable to send TikToks to any of your friends, then there may be various reasons for that.
The first thing is that it may be a result of privacy settings, or you may not be authorized to send messages to anyone.
Below are some of the reasons why you can’t send TikTok to someone.
You Haven’t Confirmed Your Phone Number
TikTok needs you to confirm your phone number before you can send messages to anyone on the platform.
This is to make sure that a real person can only send messages on the platform.
So, you can go to the settings and privacy page of your TikTok and check if you have a verified phone number or not.
If not, you can add the phone number there and verify it before trying to send messages to anyone again.
The User Have Privacy Limitations
Another reason may be that the user you are trying to send the message to has limited the messages to their ‘Friends’ only.
Friends in TikTok are categorized as when you both follow each other.
So, try following the user on TikTok and ask them to follow back.
This will make both of you Friends and you will now be able to send messages to the user.
Also Read: How To Pin Important Conversations On TikTok?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Some frequently asked questions related to the topic are taken from the internet.
Please go through the questions and their answers to understand more about TikTok.
What Are Direct Messages On TikTok?
Direct messages or DMs in TikTok are simply a way of sending text messages or multimedia messages to another user of the same platform.
It is the most common way which is used to communicate within the platform.
But there are still limitations on who can send messages to whom.
Can You Still Message On TikTok?
Yes, you can still send messages on TikTok, but there have been some changes to who can send messages to whom.
For example, any user under the age of 16 cannot send or receive messages on the platform.
And every user must have a verified phone number connected to their account to be able to send messages.
Also, every user has the option to limit from whom they can receive messages.
The privacy setting of TikTok can be used to do so.
Can You Message Someone On TikTok Without Following Them?
No, you cannot send messages to anyone on the platform if you are not following them.
You must first follow them to send messages. Also, the user can limit receiving messages from you if you are just followers and not friends.
Every user can choose among Everyone, Friends, and No one to receive messages from.
Can You Tell If Someone Read Your TikTok Message?
No, TikTok does not have a read receipt function.
So, you can never tell if anyone has seen your message or not.
Though there has been speculation that this function will be added soon, there has been no confirmation regarding it.
Conclusion
Therefore, to fix when you can’t send messages because of the user’s privacy setting in TikTok, you can either follow them, be friends with them or ask them to change the privacy settings.
All the possible reasons for this issue are pointed out and explained in this article.
Some suggestions are also made to solve it, and the setup steps are also provided on how you can manage the message settings of TikTok.
