Instagram Stories are fun, but sometimes they don’t work correctly. You might see a spinning circle instead of your story, or it might just disappear altogether. If you’re having trouble viewing your Story, here’s what you need to know about fixing it.
If you’ve been trying to watch your Story, you’ll likely notice that it looks like this:
The problem could be caused by one of several things. First, make sure you’re signed into your account. Next, try restarting your phone — that usually works. Finally, if none of those options help, try turning off Wi-Fi and cellular data on your device. This will force your device to use only local storage, which is much faster than accessing the internet over cellular networks.
Why Won’t Instagram Stories Work?
Instagram stories have been around since 2016, but it wasn’t until 2017 that we saw the feature become widely adopted. Now, nearly half of all posts on Instagram are stories. But there are some things about Instagram stories that don’t always work. For example, if you’re trying to view a story on a slow internet connection, you might find yourself waiting forever. Or maybe you just want to see what everyone else is doing, but you can’t access the stories. If you’re having trouble viewing Instagram stories, here are a few possible causes:
• Your Internet connection speed isn’t fast enough.
• Instagram’s servers are down or experiencing technical difficulties.
• The Instagram app itself is malfunctioning.
If none of those options help, try restarting your phone or tablet.
How to Fix IG Stories Not Working
Instagram launched Stories in 2016, allowing people to post short videos that disappear after 24 hours. But some users still see a spinning circle instead of viewing their story. Here’s how to fix it.
Check Your Internet Connection
If you’re having trouble accessing Instagram Stories, check your internet connection. You might be experiencing slow speeds, which could cause problems with loading the app. Try switching networks, restarting your device, or turning off Wi-Fi.
Close the App & Relaunch It
Sometimes, closing the app and opening it again fixes issues. If that doesn’t work, try quitting the app completely and relaunching it.
For iPhone Users, Use theApp Switcher
If you’ve tried everything else and nothing seems to help, try using the app switcher. Open the multitasking bar and tap the three dots next to the Instagram icon. Tap the app switcher option. Then swipe up from the bottom of the screen to close the apps.
Instagram Stories
In 2017, Facebook launched Instagram stories. They were designed to make sharing photos and videos easier and more fun. Now, almost everyone uses them.
The feature allows users to post short clips up to 15 seconds long. These stories disappear after 24 hours unless someone likes or comments on them, or shares them. After that, they’re just like regular posts – except that they don’t show up in feeds. Instead, they live inside a separate tab called “Stories.”
What to do if Instagram Stories aren’t loading
Instagram Stories are supposed to be instant. They’re meant to be short bursts of fun, sharing what you’ve been doing over the course of the day. But sometimes, things go wrong. Sometimes, Instagram Stories don’t load. And when they don’t, there’s nothing you can do about it except wait.
Usually, Instagram Stories load immediately, but sometimes, you might see a “loading…” screen while scrolling down your feed. If that happens, you can try refreshing your browser, clearing your cache, or restarting your phone.
If those fail, you can try switching networks. This usually works because some people use Wi-Fi networks that are slower than cellular data connections. So if you switch to cellular data and reload, you might find that Instagram Stories start working again.
You can also try installing another version of Instagram. Some people report that deleting the app and reinstalling it fixes the problem.
But if none of these work, you’ll just have to deal with it. Hopefully, Instagram will resolve the issue soon.
Top 9 Fixes for Instagram Story Highlights Not Loading Issue
Instagram highlights are supposed to be a great way to showcase photos you’ve taken over the course of a day. However, it seems like there are still plenty of people who aren’t able to use the highlight feature.
The highlights feature allows you to add text to images and videos within your Stories. You can choose to make the image or video stand out even further by adding a caption. This helps you tell your followers about your experiences during the day.
But, unfortunately, the highlights feature doesn’t work for everyone. Some people are having trouble getting the highlights to load properly. Others say that they’re not seeing anything in the highlights section. Still others report that the highlights don’t show up at all.
Here are some tips to help you fix the issue:
1. Make sure you’re signed into Instagram. If you’re logged in, you’ll be able to access the highlights section.
2. Try refreshing your browser. Sometimes, the highlights won’t load because the page hasn’t fully loaded. So, try closing down your internet connection and opening it again.
3. Clear your cache. Clearing your cache could help solve issues with the highlights loading.
1. Restart Phone
Instagram Stories are one of the most popular features on the social media app. But sometimes, it doesn’t work properly. In such cases, the best way to fix it is to restart your device.
If you don’t see the Highlights feature on Instagram, try restarting your phone. This might help.
2. Enable Save to Archive
If you want to save your Instagram Stories in your archive, you must enable it. This feature allows you to save your stories in your archive later. You can access it by following these steps:
Step 1: Open the Instagram app.
Step 2: Tap on your profile icon.
Step 3: Scroll down and tap on Settings.
Step 4: Tap on Save to Archive.
Step 5: Select Yes.
Step 6: Tap on Done.
3. Follow the Right Method to Create Highlights
Highlights are one of the most powerful features on Instagram. They allow you to highlight images and videos in your feed, giving it a special look. However, there are different ways to do it. Here we explain three methods to help you out.
1. Use the Filter
You can use filters to give your image a special look. You can choose from the ones listed here. But remember that the filter must be applied before adding the highlight.
2. Add Text Overlay
This option allows you to place text over an image. You can choose from several options such as “Overlay”, “Text overlay”, “Sticker”, etc.
3. Apply Filters & Effects
If you want to apply multiple effects, you can simply select the desired effect and press the button. This way, you can easily change the color of the background, add shadows, blur, etc.
4. Check Internet Connection
If you’re having trouble getting Instagram highlights to work, it could be because your connection isn’t strong enough to stream video. If you’ve tried everything else and still aren’t seeing anything, check your internet connection. There are many reasons why you might experience slow speeds, including poor WiFi reception, weak cellular signal, or even interference from nearby devices like cordless phones and microwaves.
To test your internet speed, use Speedtest.net. You’ll want to run the test while you’re online, since it won’t give you accurate information about your connection when you’re offline. This tool will show you how fast your internet is compared to others around you, and whether your connection is reliable.
You can download the free version of Speedtest.net here.
5. Turn on Airplane Mode
If you are having trouble uploading photos to Instagram because of slow internet speeds, there could be several reasons why this is happening. One reason could be that your device is experiencing network problems. To solve this issue, try turning on airplane mode. This will disable all wireless networks on your device, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You will still be able to use apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, but Instagram won’t work.
Once you’ve turned on airplane mode, wait for about one minute, then turn it back off. If you’re still having issues, try restarting your device.
6. Update Instagram
If the network fixes mentioned above did not solve the highlights not showing up problem, you need to make sure that you are updating the Instagram app.
Did you recently update your Instagram account?
Or are you delaying one? In either case, you need to open your Android or iOS device and go to the Play Store or App Store. Search for Instagram and tap on the Update button. You will find the latest version of the application.
7. Uninstall Instagram
If you’re tired of seeing ads every time you log into Instagram, it might be time to consider uninstalling the app. If you do decide to go ahead and uninstall Instagram, there are some things you’ll want to know about how it works.
First off, deleting the app won’t actually delete your account. You’ll still have access to everything you’ve ever uploaded to the site, including photos, videos, stories, comments, likes, followers, and even tags.
Second, you’ll no longer see those annoying ads. However, you’ll still be able to use the app without having to pay for it.
Finally, you’ll lose the ability to make purchases within the app. This includes buying filters, stickers, and other items.
In short, if you don’t like seeing ads, you can stop viewing them by uninstalling the app, but you’ll keep all your stuff.
8. Log Out
If you’re having trouble viewing your photos on Instagram, it could be because there are too many people trying to access the same photo. If you’ve been seeing “Highlights Unavailable,” it might just be due to too many people trying to view the same image at once. To fix this problem, follow these steps:
1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Go to your profile screen. Click on the three-dot menu button in the upper left corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and tap on Log out.
5. Enter your username and password, then hit Logout.
6. Close the app and reopen it. Your images should now be visible again.
9. Clear Cache and Data (Android Only)
Since the issue mostly happens on android phones, you can try cleaning up the cache and data for Instagram. This way, you won’t lose anything important like photos and videos. However, any files in the instagram folder on your phone will also be deleted. So make sure you save those before you delete everything else.
Step 1: Open settings on your phone and go into apps and notifications.
Step 2: Look under all apps and find Instagram.
Step 3: Tap it and scroll down to the bottom of the screen.
Step 4: You’ll see a button called “Clear Cache”. Tap it.
Step 5: A pop-up window will ask you to confirm whether you want to clear both cached and stored information. Click OK.
Step 6: Your Instagram feed and profile will now be cleared. If you don’t want to lose any more data, tap the menu icon next to the word “clear.” Then select “cache and data.”
Step 7: Scroll down to the bottom of your screen again and tap “ok.”
Step 8: Now, you’re done. Just restart your phone and you should be good to go.
Check VPN
If you desperately want to use Instagram Stories Highlights, you should download a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Then, connect from a country where the app works and see if the highlights show up. In case you are already connecting via a VPN, turn it off and see if the highlights come back.
Maybe it is the main reason why the feature isn’t working. Next up: Once highlights return, check out these nine cool tips and tricks to make sure you’re getting the most out of Instagram Stories Highlights.