Nothing kills the vibe faster than opening Instagram and getting hit with the dreaded spinning circle of doom instead of your friend’s beach trip. It can be frustrating. In this guide, we’ll walk through the most common reasons Instagram Stories are not loading, plus what you can actually do about it.
Note: This guide only applies to public Instagram profiles. Private accounts can only be viewed by approved followers. Try our instagram story viewer.
Most of the time, it’s just your Wi-Fi or mobile data acting up. Switch airplane mode on and off, restart your router, or open something outside the app to see if it’s Instagram or your whole connection is down.
If you have an Android device, you would need to follow the following path: Settings > Apps > Instagram > Storage > Clear Cache. For iPhone users, there is no easy cache button. Delete and reinstall the app if nothing else works; it should help.
If you’re running an outdated version, don’t be surprised when stuff breaks. So, you need to head to the App Store or Google Play and hit update.
You’d be shocked how often just turning your phone off and back on again works.
Is Instagram down for everyone? Before you start thinking about buying a new phone, you need check Downdetector or Twitter. If everyone’s having a problem, just wait it out.
When you’ve got battery saver or data saver on, Instagram sometimes refuses to cooperate. Switch those settings off and see if that helps.
Sometimes it’s just your phone being weird. Borrow your friend’s, or hop on your laptop and use Instagram in your browser.
Sometimes your session just needs a refresh. Log out of Instagram, close the app completely, then log back in. It can reset glitches tied to your account
Make sure Instagram has access to things it needs—like your camera, storage, or location. Go to your phone’s settings and double-check app permissions.
If your phone is low on storage, apps can act up. Delete a few unused apps or clear some space in your photo gallery—Instagram will thank you for it.
Instagram Stories are basically designed to vanish after 24 hours. If you’re trying to peep an old story (even with some third-party tools), it’s just gone. Sometimes, Instagram servers do not show content based on your region. This means that you might be facing regional restrictions, and loading issues may also depend on where you’re located or whether certain content is restricted in your area. Plus, the app itself stores a bunch of old junk (cache) and, sometimes, Stories appear stuck or missing when the cache becomes outdated or corrupted.
Error 1. Blank screen or endless spinning
You need to refresh, check your Wi-Fi, clear cache, or just restart the app.
Error 2. “Story Unavailable” message
The story may be deleted or expired. Nothing you can do.
Error 3. Stories stuck loading
You need to turn off battery/data saver, update the app or reinstall.
Error 4. Only one person’s Stories won’t load
They probably blocked you from seeing their Stories.
Error 5. Everything works except Stories
It is probably a cache bug. Clear it or reinstall.
Just because you can watch someone’s Story doesn’t mean you own it. Downloading, reposting, or sharing their stuff without asking is both unethical and possibly illegal. We encourage individuals to give credit, or better yet, just ask.
No. If an app says it can, it’s probably a scam—or you’ll end up with a virus.
Your mobile plan may have data-saving settings or restrictions. You can switch that off or find a better signal.
Watching public Stories is completely legal. When it comes to downloading, you go into the gray zone. If it is for personal use, such as saving a recipe or a hack you like for later or saving a friend’s story for memory, you should not have issues with the law. Reposting and publishing the content without consent is typically considered illegal.
It is likely that they hid their Stories from you. This can be done through Instagram’s privacy settings and can be undone only by the account holder.
This is probably a cache issue, out-of-date app, or your phone’s on battery-saving mode.
