How to Fix Chat Heads Not Working on Facebook Messenger

Can’t figure out why chat heads are not working on Facebook Messenger for Android?

Facebook Messenger is one of the best messaging services in the market. It comes in second after WhatsApp and has over 1.3 billion users globally. 

Given its status, it’s easy to think that Messenger is a perfect app with no issues. Unfortunately, this is not the case, like any other platform, Facebook Messenger is vulnerable to downtimes and errors. 

One of the most common problems on Facebook Messenger is its chat heads not working or showing. 

When this issue occurs, Android users won’t be able to access Messenger while drawing over other applications. This means that users will have to close whatever app they are using to view their messages. 

If you are among these users, you have come to the right place. 

Today, we will show you what to do if chat heads are not working or showing on Facebook Messenger for Android. 

Let’s get started!

1. Restart Your Device. 

A temporary bug or glitch may have occurred on your device, causing chat heads not to appear. To rule this out, we suggest restarting your Android device to reload Messenger’s resources and eliminate errors. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. Locate the Power button on your Android device. 
2. Next, press and hold the button until the options screen shows up. 
3. Finally, tap on Restart. 

Try using Messenger’s chat heads to check if the problem is solved. 

2. Check Your Permissions. 

Messenger needs the necessary permission from your system to draw over other applications. If it is not allowed to do this, chat heads won’t show up on your device. 

See the steps below to review your settings: 

1. First, open the Settings app on your Android device. 
2. Now, tap on the Apps tab and choose Messenger. 
3. Inside the settings, scroll down and look for the ‘Draw Over’ or ‘Appear on Top’ or any similar option. 
4. Lastly, ensure that the option is enabled. 

Go back to Messenger afterward and check if the chat head is working. 

3. Update Messenger. 

The version of Messenger you’re using might have a faulty chat head, explaining the issue. To rule this out, we recommend updating Facebook Messenger to the latest version possible to patch bugs and glitches. 

Simply head to the Google Play Store on your device and download the latest version of Messenger. 

4. Clear Messenger Cache. 

Like any other Android app, Facebook Messenger stores caches on your device, which are used to improve its performance. However, app caches can accumulate over time and become corrupted. 

To fix this, follow the steps below to clear Messenger’s cache: 

1. First, open your device and go to the app drawer.
2. Locate Messenger and hold down its app icon. 
3. Now, tap on App Info and access the Storage & Cache tab. 
4. Lastly, tap on Clear Cache and Clear Data. 

Re-login to your account and check if the chat head works. 

5. Reinstall Messenger. 

If none of the solutions above worked, we recommend reinstalling Messenger on your device. This way, we can ensure that you have the latest working version of the app and there are no corrupted files on your storage. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. On your device, access the app drawer and locate Messenger. 
2. Now, press and hold its icon until the options screen shows up. 
3. Finally, tap on Uninstall to delete Messenger. 

Go to the Google Play Store on your device to install Messenger. 

That ends our guide on how to fix chat heads not working on Facebook Messenger. If you have questions, drop a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂