One of the most annoying problems that you can face is when Instagram can’t refresh its feed. You might immediately start to panic and worry that Instagram deleted your account, Instagram is down, or someone got control of your account and you will never get it back. It might not even be something that you notice right away – but after a while, you notice that Instagram won’t refresh or Instagram won’t reload the feed.
This can be annoying, especially if you are looking for a specific post, you need to post yourself, or you are trying to show someone something. Often, when you cannot refresh the feed, you also cannot upload a new photo, add to your Instagram Story, or engage with other accounts.
The main page of Instagram is made up of the top posts that the algorithm thinks you want to see– but those aren’t always the posts that you need to see. In order to see more, you will need to refresh the home page.
You can also go through the search feature, but you might not be able to access that either if Instagram doesn’t fresh. You probably will not be able to access any new information, photos, videos, comments, or interactions. Sometimes, you may not even be able to get messages.
Many people make money off of Instagram or need to see things regularly. If you are worried about why Instagram won’t refresh, there are some steps that you can take that won’t cause any harm to your account.
Reason Why Instagram Isn’t Refreshing
There are a few different reasons why Instagram isn’t refreshing – and many of them should be pretty intuitive to you. If Instagram isn’t refreshing or updating your feed, you want to determine what the problem is before you start to panic. If we act before we figure out what the real cause is, we might be too hasty and create an even bigger problem. Some of the possible causes of Instagram refresh failure are:
- A bug on Instagram
- You don’t have a strong enough internet connection or an internet connection at all
- There is something wrong with the cookies on your phone
- You haven’t updated the app in some time
- Instagram is down
This isn’t an exhaustive list, as there are some other things that can go wrong, but it does cover the problems you will have that cause Instagram to back up 98% of the time.
Start With A Hard Reset
One of the main things you can do for your Instagram to get it to load again is to start with a hard reset. This means completely shutting down the app and restarting it. You can do this by swiping up and exiting out. Then, you can click back onto Instagram.
In a perfect world, it will show you the Instagram logo and take a few seconds. If you see new posts or you can refresh, it was just a glitch. If not, you may need to check something else to figure out why Instagram won’t refresh.
Check Your Internet Connection
Sometimes, the problem doesn’t have anything to do with Instagram at all- it is your internet connection. Look at your WiFi connection and make sure that you have all of the bars. Instagram and other graphic heavy apps are the first to malfunction if you don’t have a strong connection. Try turning off WiFi, resetting it, or testing your LTE to see if you can get Instagram to refresh.
If you aren’t able to connect but you have full WiFi, you may want to restart the WiFi router if you can. If you cannot, you can try to “forget” that WiFi connection and reconnect. This is usually necessary on public WiFi networks that you may use in coworking spaces or hotels.
Clear Your Cookies
If you are still having problems, it might be because of the cookies used by Instagram. Most people don’t realize that you need to clear cookies on your phone just like you do on your phone. The cookie and browser history section of your phone can be reached using the Settings feature.
Check Updates
Instagram is one of those apps that is supposed to update regularly with small updates. Sometimes, however, the updates get backed up if you don’t have automatic updates turned on. Check in your app store and make sure that there aren’t updates to Instagram. Once you’ve updated, see if it will work – often, that was the whole problem.
Ensure Instagram Isn’t Down
While Instagram is a mostly reliable app that you can trust won’t have too many problems- but that doesn’t make it immune. Instagram will go down sometimes and there is nothing that you can do to get it back. They need to do it for you. If you have tried all of the above and still can’t figure out what to do to fix it, you may just need to take a step back and wait.
You can do a Google search to see why Instagram is down, as there are often news articles published about it. You can also check on other social media sites like Twitter or Facebook, as people will complain about it being down.
Could It Be Something Else?
Sometimes, we don’t know why there are errors, that is just the nature of technology. One minute, everything works fine and you can upload and the next, you lose all the work you did on your account. It happens and it is frustrating. In situations like this, it is once again a good idea to just sit back. Sometimes the problem stems from Instagram, other times your internet, and then it could also be your phone. Whatever the problem, you won’t fix it by stressing yourself out or overloading the server.
It can be difficult to work when Instagram won’t refresh, especially if you use it for your job, but the best thing you can do is just sit back, take a breath, and allow the professionals to work.
How To Avoid Problems With Instagram Refreshing
If you use Instagram for work or to make money, there are some proactive steps you can take to protect yourself for when Instagram goes down. The first thing you can do is keep your phone updated- this will prevent a lot of problems in general. Keeping Instagram updated not only ensures you have less downtime, but it also ensures that you get the newest features.
You can also use an external platform to post on Instagram and keep your feed updated. If the problem is you or your internet connection, there are external tools you can use to schedule posts, interact with people, and even post Instagram stories. These will keep your account active when you cannot be.
Instagram is an important part of our lives, no matter what you use it for. While it makes sense for people to get annoyed by bugs and problems, there often isn’t anything you can do.
