Debugging Intercom Web Messenger

What to do when the web messenger is not showing or working as you expect it to

Click this link to get started and 

Correct

Standard Launcher settings?

Yes

No

Update Standard Launcher settings

  • Settings > App Settings > Messenger Settings

Still not working? Go to the next step

Custom CSS or Javascript or Javascript/ad blocker could prevent messenger from loading/showing?

Yes

No

Disable Custom CSS / Javascript / ad blocker

  • Remove customisations in case they are causing issues

Still not working? Go to Step 2 

Step 2: Load the page

Is Intercom Javascript being loaded?
(reload page with network console open to make sure)

Yes

No

Double check your integration

Still not working? Go to the next step

Is there a ping request to Intercom?
(reload page with network console open to make sure)

Yes

No

Type of Installation

Contact Intercom

Provide the following details

  • URL of implementation or details of how you're integrating this into your code

Is intercomSettings / window.intercomSettings defined in the source code?

Yes

Add intercomSettings to your page

Still not working? Go to the next step

Does intercomSettings exist in console?

Yes

No

Check implementation

  • Possible problems
    • Console errors
      • Resolution: Fix syntax errors
    • Duplicate instances of intercomSettings
      • Remove overriding duplicate instances which would have incorrect data

Still not working? Go back to Step 2

If you have been here before / didn't make any changes in this step go here

Does it have the correct format and have app_id in it?

No

Double check syntax and implementation

  • Possible problems
    • intercomSettings is not an object
    • intercomSettings does not contain app_id

If you have been here before / didn't make any changes in this step go here

Still not working? Go back to Step 2

Contact Intercom

Provide the following details

  • your app_id
  • intercomSettings that you see
  • URL of implementation and test login if needed

Is Intercom("boot",...) being called?

Yes

No

Call Intercom("boot",...)

Still not working? Go back to Step 2

Intercom elements loaded on the page?

Yes

No

  • iframe
    • id: intercom-frame
  • div
    • id: intercom-container

Check/Change Code

  • If Intercom elements are not on the page, the messenger will not work correctly
  • Likely cause: views get rendered on BODY element removing Intercom elements
    • Resolutions:
      • Delay booting Intercom until after view fully rendered
      • Move views to be rendered in a non BODY element

Still not working? Go back to Step 2

If you have been here before go here

Contact Intercom

Provide the following details

  • your app_id
  • the data that you're sending in Intercom("boot", data)
  • URL of implementation and test login if needed

Is there an error in the ping request?

Yes

No

Details of the error

Check Identity verification implementation

  • Doc on identity verification
  • Check the value of the secret
  • If you specify user_id and email, calculate the hash on user_id
  • If really need, you can disable identity verification

Still not working? Go back to Step 2

Unblock user

Still not working? Go back to Step 2

Modify integration/data to ensure unique match

or

  • Delete duplicate record in Intercom
  • leaving a single matching record

Still not working? Go back to Step 2

Whitelist URL

Still not working? Go back to Step 2

Reduce Length of Data

Still not working? Go back to Step 2

Contact Intercom

Provide the following details

  • your app_id
  • the details of the error
  • URL of implementation and test login if needed

Contact Intercom

Provide the following details

  • your app_id
  • URL of implementation and test login if needed

If all else fails

Contact Intercom

via messenger in Intercom app / website

or email team@intercom.com

Debugging Intercom

By Timothy Lim

Debugging Intercom

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