Troubleshooting Smart Inbox message replies

This article aims to guide you through troubleshooting issues with replying to messages within the Smart Inbox.

If you’re unable to reply to messages within the Smart Inbox or are getting an error message when attempting to reply, it may be due to one of the following reasons:

Account or Profile Disconnection: Sometimes social profiles can become disconnected in Sprout due to password changes or security reasons on the native network. If a profile is disconnected, you won’t be able to respond to messages until it’s reconnected. We recommend reviewing your social profiles and ensuring they’re connected by clicking on Account and Settings > Settings > Groups & Social Profiles.
Alternatively, you can review profile disconnections when checking your Notifications by clicking on the Bell icon located on the right menu (top-right corner). Click on the name of the profile to ‘reauthorize/reconnect’ it and attempt to reply once more.

Permissions and Access Levels: Check if your user role within Sprout has the necessary permissions to reply to messages. Only users with certain roles (e.g., Admin or ‘Can Reply’ and Full Publishing Users) can reply to messages in the Smart Inbox, while more restricted roles might not have reply access.

If you’re unsure which access you have within Sprout and the social profile, we recommend contacting your account owner or a user with admin access to adjust your permissions if necessary. For more information on user permissions, check out the article on viewing permissions.

Network-Specific Limitations or API Changes: Some social media networks may place limitations on third-party replies due to API restrictions.
Networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter may periodically update their APIs, which may disrupt Sprout's ability to interact with certain message types. Please check our Announcements page to see if there’s been a recent API change that could be affecting replies or some of the functionalities within the Smart Inbox.

Message Deleted or Native Restrictions: Sometimes the user that originally sent the message may have deleted it natively which would prevent you from replying to it. We recommend locating the message on the social media network to ensure it’s still there. Additionally, attempt to reply natively as this may be a network-related restriction.

For example, if your role has been changed natively within these social networks or if you've been removed from the account, it's likely that you won’t be able to reply to messages within the Smart Inbox. We recommend reviewing your access natively to ensure you have the necessary permissions/access to reply.