The Complete Guide to Fixing Instagram Story Views Not Showing

Have you ever shared an Instagram story, only to find zero views showing up? You‘re definitely not alone. Millions of Instagram users have experienced issues with their story viewer counts not displaying properly.

Not being able to see who has watched your Instagram story can be frustrating. But don‘t delete your account in anger just yet! In this comprehensive troubleshooting guide, you‘ll learn exactly why your Instagram story views may not be showing, plus helpful fixes to get your viewer count back on track.

What Are Instagram Stories and How Do Story Views Work?

Before diving into solutions, let‘s recap how Instagram stories and story views actually work:

Instagram stories allow you to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. You can also see who has viewed your story for up to 48 hours.
After posting a story, your followers list will display which users have viewed your story within a 48 hour period.
You can hide your story from specific followers in your privacy settings if desired.

So in most cases, you should see a list of followers who have viewed your story, for up to 48 hours after posting. Unless of course, you‘ve intentionally hidden it from certain people.

Why You Might Not Be Able to See Your Instagram Story Views

If your Instagram story viewer list isn‘t showing up properly, there are a few common culprits:

It‘s Been Over 48 Hours

The most obvious reason your views may not show up is that it‘s been over 48 hours since you shared that story.

Instagram deletes the view history after 48 hours, so after that period the list of viewers will disappear. Easy to forget if you posted a few days ago!

Instagram is Experiencing an Outage

Sometimes your story views refuse to load even though it hasn‘t been 2 days. This often means Instagram is down.

According to Downdetector, Instagram has over 1 billion active monthly users worldwide as of 2018. With that kind of traffic, it‘s not uncommon for their servers to experience occasional technical issues.

When Instagram has an outage, your story analytics and views can fail to load properly. All you can really do is wait it out until Instagram resolves the problem on their end.

Problems With the Instagram App

The Instagram app itself could also be experiencing bugs, causing your viewer list to glitch. Updates to the app don‘t always go smoothly.

You may notice your story views aren‘t showing up, but your Instagram web view works fine. Definitely frustrating!

Your Account or Story is Glitched

In rare cases, a problem with your specific account or story can cause issues with your view count.

Maybe your story failed to upload properly, or your account has a weird technical glitch. It likely affects a very small number of users, but can still keep your views from appearing.

Troubleshooting Instagram Story Views Not Showing

If your story views aren‘t loading properly outside of the reasons above, don‘t panic. Here are some top troubleshooting tips to try and restore your Instagram story viewer count:

1. Check Story Views on the Instagram Website

First, try checking your story views from a desktop web browser:

Open your browser and go to instagram.com
Login to your Instagram account
Go to your profile page
Click on your profile picture to view your story highlights
Click the "Seen by" icon on the bottom left to see your story viewers

Often the Instagram website will display views properly, even when the mobile app isn‘t loading them.

2. Check Views From Your Archive

If your story has expired but it‘s still within the 48 hour view history window, check the views from your archive:

In the Instagram app, go to your profile and tap the menu (three lines)
Select “Archive”
Tap on your most recent story highlight cover
Tap “Activity” at the bottom to see who has viewed your expired story

This Instagram archive trick allows you to check the viewer list even if your story is no longer live.

3. Download an Older Version of Instagram (Android)

For Android users, try downloading an older APK version of the Instagram app:

Uninstall updates to the current Instagram app on your phone
Go to Instagram APK Mirror, select an older version
Download and install the older Instagram APK
Open the old Instagram app and check if your story views show up

Sometimes new app updates introduce bugs that older versions don‘t have. Downgrading to an older APK can potentially fix view issues that occur from buggy updates.

4. Basic Troubleshooting for iOS and Android

There are also some basic troubleshooting steps you can try on both iOS and Android:

Restart the Instagram app – Close it completely from your recent apps list and reopen.
Update the Instagram app – Go to the App Store / Play Store and install any available updates.
Clear the Instagram cache – In settings, clear the app cache and data, then restart.
Log out and log back into Instagram – Fully sign out then sign back in to your account.
Uninstall and reinstall Instagram – Delete the app and re-download it from the app store.
Wait it out if Instagram is down – If service issues, give it a few hours and see if views return.

Restarting the app, clearing the cache, or reinstalling can often resolve quirky view count bugs.

5. Advanced Troubleshooting Tips

If you still aren‘t seeing your Instagram story views after basic troubleshooting, here are some more advanced fixes to try:

Update your device software in case Instagram has bugs with your OS.
Toggle your Instagram account between business and personal profile types.
Remove your Instagram account from any third-party apps connected to it.
Turn off location services for Instagram and retry.
Switch between wifi and cellular data to see if views load differently.
Try viewing your story from a friend‘s device to test if the issue is account-specific.
Contact Instagram support if above steps don‘t restore your story viewer list.

While rare, some users have reported toggling business profiles or disconnecting third-party apps as solutions that unlocked their hidden view counts.

Using Instagram Story Analytics Apps

In some cases, you may need to rely on third-party analytics apps to consistently track your Instagram story views:

StoryView analyzes the traffic sources driving views to your Instagram story.
Story Picker App shows you daily and hourly analytics for your Instagram stories and posts.
Storyly Analytics gives you statistics like impressions, reach, replies and exits for each story.
Iconosquare offers an online analytics platform with engagement metrics for your Instagram stories.

While Instagram natively shows you story views, using a dedicated analytics service can provide more data over time. They offer visibility if Instagram‘s view count has stopped working.

When Should You Contact Instagram Support?

If you‘ve tried all troubleshooting tips and your story views are still not showing up properly after 48 hours, reach out directly to Instagram support for help:

In the Instagram app, go to your profile.
Tap the menu (three lines).
Scroll down and select “Help”.
Tap “Report a Problem” to contact Instagram support.

Provide details on when your story was posted, troubleshooting steps you‘ve tried, your device, and any error messages.

Some examples of when to contact support:

Views not showing for over 48 hours after basic troubleshooting.
Consistently missing view counts on multiple stories.
Error messages appearing when you try to view story insights.
Views load for other users but not your account specifically.

Reporting specific details helps Instagram diagnose and resolve your problem faster. They may be able to fix view issues on their end or escalate technical bugs.

Instagram Continues Improving Stories

While troubleshooting missing views can be a headache, Instagram is constantly evolving their story features.

Some recent and upcoming Instagram story improvements include:

Stickers, GIFs and trending music options for more engaging stories
Custom creative tools like colored brushes and neon glow effects
Live mode for streaming real-time videos that disappear
Augmented reality filters to enhance faces and environments
Story hashtag pages so you can more easily find and share stories
Close friends mode for stories visible only to your inner circle

So while issues like views not showing are frustrating, new innovations make Instagram stories more powerful than ever for engaging your audience.

Key Takeaways: Fixing Instagram Story Views Not Showing

Hopefully these comprehensive troubleshooting tips will help you get your Instagram story viewer count back on track.

The most common issues are waiting past 48 hours or Instagram having technical issues. But now you‘re equipped to quickly resolve view problems when they pop up!

Here are the key takeaways:

Check the web view, your archive, or use analytics apps if app views don‘t load.
On Android, try downloading older Instagram versions to pinpoint potential buggy updates.
Methodically attempt basic troubleshooting steps like reinstalling the app.
For difficult cases, try advanced fixes like updating OS or removing connected apps.
If all else fails, report the specific issue directly to Instagram‘s support team.
While frustrating, view issues are temporary. Focus on creating captivating stories!

With this complete guide handy, you can be confident solving annoying missing view count problems. Now get back to doing what matters most – engaging your audience with fun, compelling Instagram stories!