If you’ve ever queued up for a Brawl Stars match, typed in your team chat, then realized you can’t send that silly laughing pin to your squad, you know how frustrating that is. I’ve been there too, mid-heated Gem Grab match, trying to tell my random teammate they’re pushing too hard with a thrower, only to find my pin menu is greyed out entirely. If you’re asking why can't i use pins in brawl stars, you’re not alone—this is one of the most common questions new and returning players post on community forums every week. This guide breaks down every possible cause, plus easy fixes you can try in 2 minutes or less to get your pins working again.
Unlock Requirements You Might Have Missed for Pin Access
Many players run into pin access issues simply because they haven’t met the basic unlock criteria yet, and the game doesn’t always spell these out clearly for new users. Pins are designed as a social feature, so Supercell locks them behind small milestones to prevent spam from brand-new bot accounts, for the most part.
- Player level 3 requirement: You won’t see the pin menu at all until your account reaches level 3, which takes roughly 10 to 15 minutes of casual matches to hit. If you’re brand new to the game, play 2 or 3 quick Showdown matches first, and the pin menu will unlock automatically.
- Pin ownership requirement: You can only use pins you’ve officially added to your collection. Event-exclusive, Brawl Pass, and brawler-specific pins won’t show up in your menu if you didn’t earn, purchase, or claim them first. If you see a streamer using a cute Spike pin you don’t recognize, it’s likely a limited-time reward you missed from a past event.
- Brawler lock for character-specific pins: Many pins are tied to a single brawler. For example, if you have a legendary Crow dance pin but you’re playing as Colt in a match, that Crow pin won’t appear in your in-match pin menu at all. You can only use character-specific pins when you’re actively playing that brawler.
I’ve seen a lot of new players message support asking for missing pins, only to realize they just didn’t claim the reward from their inbox after completing a challenge. Always check your inbox first if you thought you earned a pin but it’s not showing up. Some pins also require you to reach a certain trophy level for a specific brawler, so double-check the pin’s description in your collection if it’s showing as locked.
Why Can't I Use Pins in Brawl Stars During Matches?
Even if you have a full collection of pins unlocked, you might find you can’t send them when you’re in an active match, and this usually ties to either match rules or account restrictions. Most of these issues are intentional, not glitches, so you won’t be able to bypass them with quick fixes.
Temporary or permanent chat bans are the most common reason players lose pin access mid-match. Supercell’s auto-moderation system flags players who spam toxic pins, send abusive text chat, or repeatedly grief teammates, and first-time offenses usually come with a 24 to 72 hour restriction on all chat features, including pins. If you received a ban notification when you logged in, you’ll have to wait out the restriction before you can use pins again.
Some official competitive events and tournament lobbies also disable pin access entirely to prevent players from sharing information with opponents or distracting their own team. If you’re joining a community-run tournament, check the rules first—many organizers disable pins by default to keep matches fair. You’ll usually get a notification when you join the lobby if pins are disabled for that specific game mode.
You also might notice pins are greyed out for the first 10 to 15 seconds of a pre-game lobby. That’s not a bug: the game locks all social features until every player has loaded into the lobby and selected their brawler, to prevent glitches with player syncing. Wait a few seconds, and the pin menu will unlock as soon as the lobby is fully loaded.
Technical Glitches That Break Pin Functionality
If you’ve confirmed you meet all unlock requirements, have no active account bans, and still can’t use pins, you’re probably dealing with a simple technical glitch that’s easy to fix. These glitches are extremely common after big game updates, when new pin content is added to the app.
Outdated game versions are responsible for nearly 30% of all pin functionality glitches reported by players, per recent community survey data. Supercell releases small updates every few weeks to fix bugs and add new pins, so if you’ve turned off auto-updates on your phone, you might be running a version that’s no longer compatible with the latest pin features. Head to your app store to check for available updates, and install any pending Brawl Stars updates first.
Corrupted app cache is another common culprit, especially if you’ve been playing the game for months without clearing your cache. The cache stores small pieces of data like your pin previews and menu settings to make the game load faster, but if that data gets corrupted, the pin menu might freeze, grey out, or fail to send pins when you tap them. This glitch usually only affects pins, so you’ll still be able to play matches normally otherwise.
If you have high ping (over 200ms) during a match, you also might tap a pin and see nothing happen. The game can’t send the pin to your teammates if your connection is dropping in and out, and you’ll usually see a red wifi symbol pop up in the top corner of your screen when this happens. Wait until your connection stabilizes, and your pins will start working again. If you’re on mobile data, try switching to a stable wifi network to avoid this issue entirely.
How to Troubleshoot and Get Your Pins Working Fast
You don’t have to be tech-savvy to fix most pin issues, and most of these steps take less than 2 minutes to complete. Start with the simplest fixes first, to avoid unnecessary hassle.
First, double-check your account inbox for any ban or restriction notifications. If you got a temporary pin ban for spam, you’ll find a message in your inbox that tells you exactly when the restriction will lift, and there’s no way to bypass this wait time. If you think the ban was a mistake, you can submit an appeal through the in-app support menu, and the team will review your case within a few days.
Next, confirm you’re trying to use the right pin for the brawler you’re playing. If you’re trying to send a Shelly pin while you’re using El Primo, it won’t show up in your in-match menu, no matter what you do. You can view all your non-character-specific pins in the “general” tab of your pin collection, and those will work with any brawler in any match. You can also customize your quick-access pin menu to include only general pins if you don’t want to switch between character-specific sets every time you play a new brawler.
If that doesn’t work, close the Brawl Stars app fully—don’t just minimize it—and reopen it. This resets the game’s temporary data and fixes most small glitches with the pin menu immediately. If you’re still having issues, clear your app cache on Android, or offload and reinstall the app on iOS, to get rid of any corrupted data. You won’t lose any of your account progress, as all your data is saved to your Supercell ID or game center account.
If you’ve tried every step and you still can’t use pins, reach out to Supercell support through the in-game help center. Attach a screenshot of your greyed-out pin menu if you can, to help them diagnose the issue faster. They usually respond to non-urgent requests within 24 hours, and can unlock your pin access if the issue is on their end.
At the end of the day, pin issues in Brawl Stars are almost never permanent, and most can be fixed with a quick check of your account status or a simple app restart. Next time you’re asking why can't i use pins in brawl stars, run through the steps we covered first before you panic—you’ll likely be sending your favorite silly or supportive pins to your squad again in no time. Pins are one of the most fun social parts of the game, so don’t let a small glitch or missed unlock requirement keep you from using them to connect with your teammates. If you’re looking for more fun ways to customize your Brawl Stars experience, you can also check out our guide to earning free skins and Brawl Pass rewards without spending real money.