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“Say hi to new followers” shows “Unavailable yet – Meta limited” – anything I can do?

  • Nov 5, 2026 5:14 PM UTC
  • 1 comment
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Hi everyone,

I’m on the Free plan with my Instagram account @vyzivujte.cz. In both Settings → Instagram and Basic Automations, “Say hi to new followers” shows “Unavailable yet – Meta limited the use of this functionality.” My keyword automations work fine and I’m not prompted to reconnect.

Is there anything I can check or do on my side (connection method, account type, settings), or is it just a matter of waiting for Meta’s rollout? Has anyone had this label change to available, and how long did it take?

Thank you!
Lucie

Best answer by Gustavo Boregio

Hey ​@vyzivujte ! That message points to Meta’s eligibility restriction, rather than your Free plan.

Manychat’s official guide confirms that:

  • Access to Follow to DM isn’t determined by your Manychat plan.
  • Meta reviews eligibility weekly. Once eligible, the feature becomes available automatically.
  • Manychat can’t override Meta’s decision.

Weekly review doesn’t mean you’ll get access next week, so I wouldn’t give you a fixed waiting time.

The feature does require the Unified Instagram connection. Older connections should show a prompt to update, but since you’re not seeing that prompt and your keywords work, I wouldn’t repeatedly disconnect a working setup just to try to unlock it.

Meanwhile, you can use those working keyword automations as the entry point: invite people to DM a specific word for the resource or information you planned to send in your welcome message. That way you can keep starting conversations while eligibility is pending ;)

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    Gustavo Boregio
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    • Gustavo Boregio
    • Community Moderator & Expert
    • Answer
    • Nov 5, 2026 7:03 PM UTC

    Hey ​@vyzivujte ! That message points to Meta’s eligibility restriction, rather than your Free plan.

    Manychat’s official guide confirms that:

    • Access to Follow to DM isn’t determined by your Manychat plan.
    • Meta reviews eligibility weekly. Once eligible, the feature becomes available automatically.
    • Manychat can’t override Meta’s decision.

    Weekly review doesn’t mean you’ll get access next week, so I wouldn’t give you a fixed waiting time.

    The feature does require the Unified Instagram connection. Older connections should show a prompt to update, but since you’re not seeing that prompt and your keywords work, I wouldn’t repeatedly disconnect a working setup just to try to unlock it.

    Meanwhile, you can use those working keyword automations as the entry point: invite people to DM a specific word for the resource or information you planned to send in your welcome message. That way you can keep starting conversations while eligibility is pending ;)

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