But how can you actually know if Instagram is not online or if, in fact, it isn’t you who are having connectivity issues? Or even that your smartphone is facing some sort of incompatibility with the app? There are many ways and we will talk about them throughout this article! In the next paragraphs, you’ll learn how to detect some of the most tell-tale signs that Instagram is down, some tips about what you can do for it to get working again and the tricks to know for sure that the issue is on their end!
Instagram down: how can you know?
There’s no clear message that tells you if Instagram is offline or not. The app will open as usual and posts you’ve seen before will also show up as if there is nothing amiss, at all. However, the first sign will be in the new posts, the ones that hadn’t loaded previously. If they’re not loading properly – for instance, if the subtitles added with some of the apps to add text to videos show up, but the video’s image doesn’t, or if the update icon spins endlessly -, it could be a sign that Instagram is down. Another indication is Instagram’s Stories. If they are not loading, you can also get a good suspicion that the social network is not working as it should. The last sign can come from websites to automatically follow people. If you use any of the apps to get Instagram followers, they won’t work either, even if turned on.
Do you notice any of these signs? Well then, take a look at our tips to be sure if Instagram is actually not working!
1. What to do to make sure it’s not a problem on your end?
All of the examples above work both to help you figure out both if Instagram is down and if your smartphone has lost its internet connection, whether it is a WiFi network or your mobile data. The first you should take is to go to other websites or social media platforms (except Facebook and WhatsApp). It is worth keeping in mind that both of those belong to the same company, and if one of them goes down, it might mean all of them are down. It is highly recommended that you use any website to test your connection, such as fast.com. By doing so, you’ll be able to be 100% certain if you have or not an internet connection. Other than that, try to always keep Instagram’s app up to date. Issues when using it, such as some missing new Instagram features, could be caused simply by the app being outdated. To know if Instagram is up to date on your Android smartphone, open up the Play Store and then click on the menu icon, found on the upper left corner of the screen;
Click on My apps & games;
Check if Instagram is in your pending updates list. If it is, click on the Update button;
If you’ve already done all that but your connection is working as it should and the app is updated, then you might have to go to these websites to learn once and for all if Instagram is actually down!
2. Outage.Report
The first website to find out whether or not Instagram is available is Outage.Report. It is an amazing alternative that will tell you if the other users are facing similar issues to you when trying to reach Instagram.
It is a quite complete website, showing you from the get-go a graph with the times when there were any reports about reaching the platform. Other than that, it will also show the percentage about the types of complaints. For instance, the users can say if their feeds aren’t updating, if their Stories aren’t loading or if everything is just not working, among others. On the other hand, there’s no clear indication that Instagram is actually down. Outage.Report only gathers and organizes complaints by the type of report, or from where they originate. You, too, can report any issues you might be facing and help other users know if Instagram is not working. Follow this link to check on Outage.Report if Instagram is working!
3. DownDetector
Much more direct than Outage.Report, the first message you’ll see when going to DownDetector is if Instagram is down or not, if it is going through issues or if it is working as it should.
Just like on Outage.Report, it also shows you a graph with all the complaints the website’s users have made. It also lets you see the Instagram status in other countries, so that you can know if the platform is offline all around the globe. One of DownDetector’s extra features is that it offers you a history with links for periods when Instagram was down. To check on DownDetector if Instagram is facing any issues, just follow this link!
Instagram down: what to do when that happens?
In reality, there’s not much you can do when the issue comes from Instagram’s servers. The only solution is to wait it out for it to go back to normal. You should also go to your tools to schedule posts on Instagram and reschedule the posts for the next hours, since if they try to post while it is down, it will fail and you’ll have to restart the post. And, if you want to get bigger on Instagram, we have a few tips with the best websites to get Instagram followers. You can also try implementing some of the most popular Instagram hashtags to your posts and some of the best Instagram bio ideas!
