Photo Credit: Solen Feyissa
Curious why Instagram keeps crashing on your phone? Here are a few quick fixes that usually work.
Instagram is a great place to showcase your talent and network with other artists and musicians. But it can be a frustrating experience when Instagram keeps crashing on your device. If you’re experiencing this issue, here are a few things you can try to resolve the problem.
Instagram crashes are usually caused by one of three reasons:
- Your Instagram app needs to be updated
- Your device is low on memory (cache needs to be cleared)
- Your Instagram app has become corrupted
You can fix these crashes by following these steps, regardless of whether you use iOS or Android.
Restart Your Device
It’s a bit silly, but sometimes app cache errors that cause apps like Instagram to crash are solved with a reboot. Rebooting your phone can solve the issue for a variety of reasons. If you’ve restarted your phone recently and you’re still experiencing crashes – here are a few more fixes to try.
Check Instagram Status
If the Instagram app appears on your phone but no content loads, check whether Instagram is experiencing problems. Occasionally, the app may have an outage that is localized to one area due to host issues or a natural disaster. Websites like Down Detector can help you determine if Instagram is experiencing problems.
Update Instagram
Be sure to check if the Instagram app needs to be updated. Facebook regularly updates the Instagram app, which can result in connection problems. Check the App Store or the Play Store to see if the app needs to be updated.
How to update apps on iOS
- Open the App Store.
- Tap your profile icon at the top of the screen.
- Scroll down to see pending updates.
- Tap ‘Update‘ next to Instagram or ‘Update All‘ to update all apps.
How to update apps on Android
- Open the Play Store.
- Press the ‘Menu‘ icon.
- Tap ‘My Apps & Games.’
- Press ‘Update‘ next to Instagram or ‘Update All‘ to update all apps.
Clear Instagram Cache if Instagram Keeps Crashing
The Instagram app keeps a cache of data stored on your phone. Sometimes this cache can become corrupted and cause problems – like the Instagram app crashing. You can manually clear the Instagram cache to see if that resolves any crashes you’re experiencing.
How to clear Instagram cache on iOS
- Launch the ‘Settings‘ app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap on the ‘General‘ tab.
- Tap the ‘iPhone Storage‘ tab.
- Scroll down to find ‘Instagram‘ and tap it.
- Tap ‘Delete App,’ then confirm.
- Go to the App Store and re-download Instagram.
How to clear Instagram cache on Android
- Launch the ‘Settings‘ app on your smartphone.
- Tap the ‘Storage‘ heading.
- Tap ‘Other Apps’ to see a full list of installed apps.
- Find the ‘Instagram‘ app and tap on it.
- Tap the ‘Clear Cache‘ button.
Update Your Phone
Have you updated your smartphone in a while? Instagram is tuned to work with the latest version of iOS and Android. If you’re on an older version, you may experience problems running the app. Check to see if your phone has any updates for the operating system. If it does, install them and then see if that stops Instagram from crashing.
Wait For New Version
Sometimes Instagram goofs and pushes out an update that is broken for a small segment of the population. If that happens, the best option is to wait for it to be fixed. Follow the Instagram account on Twitter to see when these issues are documented.
Factory Reset Your Phone
If none of the above options fixed Instagram crashing on your phone, you have a nuclear option. Factory resetting your smartphone could resolve the issue, but it should be the last step you try.
You will lose all of the data on your smartphone. That means pictures, video, audio recordings, and more. Make sure all of this data is backed up before you factory reset your phone.