Why isn’t Instagram loading? Is the social media network down?
Thousands of Instagram users have reported that the social media network has not been loading and they cannot refresh their feeds. Here’s why...
Thousands of Instagram users began reporting problems with the site on Tuesday morning. At first glance, it appears that it was just a technical issue at Meta, the platform’s parent company. Facebook, Messenger and Threads were also experiencing problems.
The company has not provided any other information on what happened to its system merely saying that engineering teams Meta “are actively looking to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.” That appear to be the case as the number of outage reports on Downdetector has been rapidly decreasing after peaking around 10:26 am ET.
However, if you are still experiencing problems, here’s what might be the problem...
Why isn’t Instagram loading?
With so many millions of Instagram users, it is normal to encounter problems at some point. The most common problem that people come across refers to the inability to update your feed, for one reason or another.
Problems usually arise because of the updates that iOS and Android constantly receive; on many occasions the simple yet devastating error manages to ruin our day. There is no definitive solution that has a 100% record, so in order to work out the issue, we have to check all the different fixes that we are about to discuss..
If after restarting the mobile it still does not work, the best thing to do is to clear the application cache. Depending on the operating system in which you have, there are various ways to do this.
Here’s how to clear caches on your cell phone:
Android:
- Press and hold the Instagram icon and select the app info tab.
- In the window that opens you must select memory.
- You will see that there is a button pointing to the clear cache function. Click on it.
NOTE: Although it seems obvious, you should not confuse clear cache with the button to delete personal information. That button should not be pressed.
iOS:
- Open settings and click on General.
- Inside select iPhone storage.
- Choose Instagram and delete the app.
Although it sounds extreme to delete things, the truth is that with iOS you are not allowed to clear the cache. You simply have to delete it and then install it again. It’s a simple process, but not as easy as it is with Android.
You may have an outdated version of Instagram
You should always keep the app updated to the latest version. Besides the fact that only the latest versions of apps work the best, being up to date ensures you receive newly added features and security fixes as soon as they are released. If you use an old version of an app you can even lose access to it as user interfaces become obsolete.
Android:
- Open the Google Play Store and click on the settings button.
- Select connection settings and among the options you will see one that allows applications to update automatically. You just have to enable it to make it work.
iOS:
- Open the settings application.
- Below privacy you will see the App Store. Open it.
- You’ll see that the Automatic Downloads section has three items that can be toggled on and off. You need to turn on the second one, called App updates.
Your operating system or cell phone is outdated
Everything has an expiration date and so does your cell phone. Even if you bought it recently, if you bought it based on a model that is several years old, the operating system may stop updating to new versions of the system.
If Instagram needs to updated to a new version, and older operating system on your phone will not be able to access it. If your phone is new, avoid disabling automatic updates of the operating system.
Instagram could be down
You must also take into account the status of Instagram’s servers as they can at times experience problems. Websites such as Downdetector are a good way to check of the status of such applications like Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp and X (Twitter).