5 most common Instagram bugs and their fixes

Dora Goold
7 min readJun 23, 2020

None of us can deny the enormous impact of Instagram on our daily lives. Whether we use it for fun and entertainment or to promote a brand or business. It has become an integral part of our lives, and we get disappointed while our accounts face issues or Instagram’s features do not work well for us.

Instagram bugs and fixes

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Lately, Instagram has been facing lots of minor and major issues, starting from stories not loading to more significant problems such as Login issues. Whenever Instagram goes down, Users immediately run to seek help in other social media platforms such as Reddit and Twitter, or they search the problem on google hoping to find fixes.

This can be vital because many of Instagram users make their living on Instagram, or they manage their online store over there. So, knowing some quick fixes might rescue you from getting in trouble while using Instagram.

I read many good resources on how to deal with the social media issues like InoSocial, Instagram Press, Instagram Help Center, Mashable, etc. Due to the repetitive Instagram outages these days, I thought that it would be beneficial to provide a comprehensive guide for Instagramers on the most standard Instagram issues and how to fix them.

There are two main reasons why you are facing breakdowns on Instagram:

First: Instagram issues from the server’s side (Instagram down)

The first reason, which is the main reason for every Instagram issue, is that Instagram is globally down and is facing problems worldwide. It does not have anything to do with your account or network connection, and Instagram’s server is facing errors.

Instagram down

Second: Instagram issues from your side

The second reason for an Instagram outage is that the Instagram app is having issues from your side. Various factors can cause Instagram not to work from your side. It can be your poor internet connection, VPN connectivity, problems with Wi-Fi, shortage of memory, and much more.

Whatever the cause of the breakdown is, you need to figure out ways to get things right and fix Instagram issues on your app. To help you throughout this process, I have gathered the five most common and significant Instagram issues and their solutions to make you able to have a better Instagram experience.

#1- Instagram Direct Messaging problems

One of the prevalent issues Instagramers are complaining about these days is the Instagram DM problem.

The Instagram DM issue can show in different ways, such as not being able to send and receive messages, not being able to open the DM box, getting fake DM notifications, and much more. The mentioned issues can be frustrating since a lot of us use direct messages daily. Below are the fixes to any Instagram DM issues you are having.

Instagram DM issue fixes:

1) Clear your Instagram cache to free up some space for messages

2) Check if the receiver of your message blocks you

3) Check to make sure you are following the receiver of the DM (Some people might have disabled receiving DMs from non-followers)

4) Try restarting your phone and try once again

5) Update Instagram to the latest version

6) Check your Internet and VPN connection or restart them

#2- Instagram login problems

Instagram login problem consists of lots of errors you receive from Instagram while trying to login. Such as, “sorry, there was a problem with your request.” One of the most annoying problems on any platform is the login issue since it does not even let you get in.

Whatever the reason for login errors is, there are some possible fixes to try to solve these issues, which I have listed for you below.

Instagram Login issues fixes:

1) Try logging into your account from a different device (If you were able to log in, your phone’s IP is banned by Instagram)

2) Use a VPN and retry logging in. (This changes your IP address and might work)

3) Retype both your username and password. (To reassure that you are not entering wrong)

4) If you are using the app, try logging in through the browser (And also try vice versa)

5) Close the app and restart it again (This refreshes all the data and gives you another chance to login)

6) Restart your phone, internet connection and Modem completely

7) As the last step, try resting your password (This might seem a bit hard but fixes login issues most of the time)

Instagram login

Note: If none of the solutions above worked for you and you are still not able to log in, your account might have been disabled for violating Instagram’s term of services. You would see errors such as “Username not found” or “Your account violated Instagram’s terms.”

#3- Instagram tagging problems

Tagging people on Instagram posts and stories is a useful feature on every social media to mention users and get their attention. Like all other features on Instagram, the tagging feature might also face issues such as not being able to tag people. Don’t worry about that since I’ve got the solutions you can try to fix such problems.

Instagram tagging issues fixes:

1. Wait for some time and try again in a few minutes.

2. Recheck the tag to make sure there are no spelling mistakes

3. The user you are trying to tag might have a private account (If you do not follow them, try following them and give it another try.)

4. Report the tagging issues to Instagram. (Most of the time, the only solution left to try is to report the problem to Instagram and wait to see if they’ll help you out.)

5. Force close Instagram and open it again.

6. As the last and most effective step, restart your phone once if none of the above worked for you.

#4- Instagram posting Problems

Instagram is a platform for posting stuff such as photos and videos, so It’d be horrifying when you face errors that prevent you from sharing a post on Instagram. A bug most probably causes such issues in the temporary data that Instagram has stored on your device.

Or it might have other reasons such as Instagram being globally down and much more. Anyways, I want you all to know that there are some solutions to this which you should try now.

Instagram posting issues fixes:

1. Clear the Instagram cache. (On iOS go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > tap on Instagram icon > Tap ‘Offload App’ to clear the Instagram cache. On android go to settings > Apps > find Instagram > Tap ‘Storage’ > ‘Clear Cache’)

2. Make sure your photo does not violate Instagram’s terms or contain any obscene content, such as nudity or violence.

3. Recheck your caption to see if there are any words, sentences, or phrases which are against Instagram’s rules.

4. Change the Instagram data setting If Instagram isn’t letting you post, this limit may be set too low. (Go to your Profile > Settings Tap ‘Account’ > Scroll down until you find ‘Cellular Data Usage’)

5. Delete some files on your device to free up some space. (Your phone’s memory or storage being full is another reason why your Instagram posts fail)

6. Try using a VPN to see if an IP change can help you.

7. As always, as the ultimate solution, if all of the above fixes failed, try re-opening Instagram or restarting your device.

Instagram posting

#5- Instagram live problems

These days of the sudden corona-virus pandemic Instagram live is even more prevalent. Still, it is facing lots of issues which consist if you are not able to go live, not being able to see your other people’s lives or they show up with a delay to you. If you are an Instagram live fan and you usually use the feature, here are all the solutions to fix any Instagram live error.

Instagram live issues fixes:

Check Instagram’s accessibility to the phone’s camera. (On iPhone or IOS devices, go to Settings, then scroll down to Instagram, then tap on it. Ensure that you allowed Instagram access to the camera.)

Try logging into your Instagram account on different devices. (This step is to determine whether the issue lies with your phone.)

Check the internet connection access and speed. (internet speed matters a lot while going live or watching live)

Update Instagram to its latest version.

Free up some space on your device. (Instagram live needs the right amount of storage and a free cache.)

Try restarting both the Instagram app and your device for a shock to the app.

Note: if none of the above fixes for any of the Instagram issues this did not work for you, the only option left for you is to report the problem to Instagram and hope that they’ll sort it out for you.

Conclusion

I have tried to gather all the ways to help every Instagramer fix the most standard Instagram bugs so that you can have a better Instagram experience bug-free. If you have any other issues with your Instagram account, and need a fixed tip, leave a comment for me, and I’ll do my best to help.

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