Alexis Kestler
Sharing photos and videos via Instagram Stories is a quick and fun way to give followers a behind-the-scenes look into your life. However, few things are more annoying than excitedly going to post a Story only to find glitches and errors preventing you from uploading content.
As a social media expert focused specifically on strategically using Instagram to build brands and engage audiences, I‘ve helped resolve countless Story issues for clients over the years. With more and more users and marketers alike relying on Stories as a key feature, troubleshooting inevitable glitches in 2023 takes some specialized insight.
In this comprehensive guide based on extensive industry experience, we’ll unpack the most common Instagram Story problems users face, dive into what’s behind the recent rise in glitches, and provide actionable solutions to have you back creating Stories followers love in no time.
What is Causing So Many Instagram Story Glitches Lately?
Before jumping into fixes, it‘s important to understand why Instagram Stories are more prone to technical bugs lately. Based on my expertise handling IG tools daily, there are a few key reasons for increased Story glitches:
- More Users & Content Than Ever Before: Instagram now has over 2 billion monthly active users, with over 500 million interacting via Stories daily. This explosion in usage taxes servers.
- Shift to Video Content: Video now makes up 93% of social media engagement, yet is tougher to process than images, slowing things.
- Feature Innovation: Instagram rolls out new creative tools like filters, AR and stickers rapidly, often causing conflicts.
- Algorithm Changes: Frequent feed algorithm tweaks lead to caching issues that impact Stories loading properly.
Knowing what‘s behind common Instagram Story glitches provides needed context before diving into the best fixes and troubleshooting approaches…
10 Ways to Troubleshoot Instagram Story Glitches
When your Instagram Story is failing to upload or experiencing technical issues, it can be incredibly frustrating. Especially when you have awesome content ready to share with your engaged followers!
Luckily there are a few quick checks and solutions you can run through to resolve most Story problems:
1. Confirm Internet Connection is Strong
The number one issue I encounter from users facing Story glitches is actually just poor WiFi connectivity preventing content from uploading smoothly:
➡️ Solutions:
- Switch from WiFi to Cellular data
- Connect device to a different WiFi network
- Restart home WiFi router and modem
This refreshes the connection and signals for smooth Story loading.
2. Check Instagram Server Status
Before assuming something is wrong on your end, check https://downdetector.com/status/instagram/ to see if the main Instagram servers have an outage.
You can also search "Instagram down" on Twitter or Reddit to check for widespread problems being reported at a given time.
3. Force Close and Restart Instagram App
Sometimes the Instagram app will have processes running in the background or stuck on previous actions that cause Story glitches:
➡️ Solutions:
Close Instagram fully by swiping it away from your open apps. Then reopen a freshly restarted version for Story tools working properly again.
On iPhone: Swipe up from bottom and hold finger down on Instagram app preview until it jiggles then tap red minus icon to close
On Android: Open multitasking view and swipe Instagram app preview screen upwards to close
4. Clear App Data and Cache
Temporary data stored when using Instagram Stories can also get corrupted over time, with things like loading old filters causing glitches.
Wiping this data has Instagram revert back to defaults fixing most issues:
➡️ Solutions:
On iPhone
- Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
- Tap Instagram then tap Offload App to clear data/cache
On Android
- Go to device Settings > Apps > Instagram > Storage > Clear Cache + Clear Data
5. Try Deleting and Reinstalling App
If force closing Instagram and clearing temporary data doesn‘t resolve your Story glitches, fully deleting and redownloading the app typically will.
This gives you a freshly installed app without any corrupted files that could be interrupting Stories functioning:
➡️ Solutions:
- Delete Instagram (back up your content first)
- Redownload app from Apple App Store or Google Play Store
- Log back into your account
Stories tools should work smoothly like new again.
6. Update to Latest Instagram Version
Staying on an outdated Instagram app version is another source of potential Stories glitches if they‘ve addressed bugs in newer releases.
➡️ Solutions:
Ensure auto update is enabled or manually force an Instagram update via:
- Apple App Store on iPhone
- Google Play Store on Android devices
Latest updates fix highlighted issues and optimize functionality.
7. Try Different Instagram Account on Same Device
As an Instagram specialist, I‘ve learned that Story glitches happening on one account while another works fine points to an issue with settings or restrictions in the problematic profile.
Creating a test account on the same device helps diagnose root cause:
➡️ Solutions:
- Log into a separate Instagram account that hasn‘t faced issues
- Attempt uploading a test Story using new profile
- If it works fine, problem lies with original account settings
Evaluate original profile for problems blocking Stories specifically.
8. Test Stories on Separate Connection and Device
Network connectivity and outdated device specs can also contribute to Instagram Stories failing with frustrating messages like “Upload Failed."
Verifying Stories work properly on other setups helps determine where the issue originates:
➡️ Solutions:
- Connect another device like phone, tablet or PC to a different network
- Try uploading same Story having problems to narrow down cause
If Story uploads fine elsewhere, reconnect original device to updated network and update device if needed.
9. Leverage Instagram Support Tools
Unfortunately some Instagram Story glitches arise from complex software bugs only able to be addressed properly internally by Instagram‘s team.
➡️ Solutions:
- Check https://help.instagram.com/ for relevant troubleshooting tips
- Submit error reporting direcly to Instagram for investigation
- Provide screenshots and precise reproduction details to optimize diagnosis
Directly engaging support uncovers solutions only resolvable behind the scenes, usually a backend fix or optimized app release.
10. Try an Instagram Story Management Platform
Finally, relying on Instagram‘s native app to power uploading all Stories means you‘re always susceptible to disruptions from platform glitches or outages.
My agency clients avoid losing valuable time to Story errors by using dedicated social media management platforms offering reliability benefits:
| Instagram Story Manager | Key Benefits |
|---|---|
| Later.com | Robust platform for scheduling IG Stories hassle-free |
| Planoly | Seamless Instagram marketing suite with backup support |
| Tailwind | Top IG management with advanced analytics |
These tools optimize and control the Instagram Story experience for you to sidestep common publishing frustrations!
Why You Shouldn‘t Worry About Instagram Story Glitches!
I hope this comprehensive troubleshooting guide covers all the likely fixes you need to resolve frustrating Instagram Stories glitches in 2023.
Just remember that bugs and technical hiccups are inevitable when using a rapidly evolving platform with over a billion users uploading petabytes of new content daily!
The key for both personal and business users is having the right solutions on hand to quickly address problems so you can get back to effortlessly engaging your audience.
With the fixes outlined above from my extensive Instagram expertise, you should be fully equipped to troubleshoot any common Stories errors standing in the way of social success! Let me know in the comments if you have any other issues pop up.
