Many people are making use of smartphones for photo and video processing. And this is likely one of the main reasons why more and more photo apps are created. One of the most popular (and the first) photo-sharing apps these days is Instagram, a mobile app that lets you take, edit, and share photos and videos with your friends, family, and followers. Instagram is available for free for Android and iOS devices. Instagram is deemed a great resource for a young or small business to get started in acquiring and exposure to potential customers from millions of active Instagram users per day. The number of Instagram users speaks for the app’s credibility.
Therefore, it is safe to say that Instagram is a credible application. But this doesn’t mean that Instagram is always flawless. In fact, other robust apps like Gmail and Facebook also succumb to random errors. Thus, Instagram also has its own share of flaws. But on the positive note, the transpiring symptoms are typically software-related and therefore, fixable.
To give you some inputs, I’ve mapped out a few potential solutions to a problem on the Instagram app that’s not working or keeps crashing on an Apple iPhone XR device. Feel free to refer to this walkthrough if ever you need help troubleshooting the same problem on the same iOS device.
How to troubleshoot iPhone XR with Instagram that keeps crashing
Before you begin, check and ensure that your iPhone has stable Internet connection. Internet problems on the phone are usually the main reasons why online apps suddenly stop working. If all your online apps are experiencing similar symptoms, then you need to deal with network-connectivity issues on your phone first. Otherwise, troubleshoot the app with any of these workarounds.
First solution: Quit the app then launch it again.
Apps that used to work properly and then suddenly misbehave are most likely glitching. Such app behaviours can be triggered by many factors like bugs from within the application or phone system itself. To fix the problem, ruling out culprits from within the app itself. Force closing and restarting the erratic application usually takes care of such problems. Thus, it’s recommended among the first potential solutions. Here’s how to force close Instagram on an iPhone XR:
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and then pause slightly in the middle.
- Then swipe right or left to navigate through the app previews.
- Swipe up on the Instagram card/preview to close the application.
To prevent other suspended apps from causing conflicts, clear them all as well using the above steps. Suspended apps are those apps that are left opened. They are also known as background apps. While keeping apps in this state benefits users in terms of apps reloading or multitasking, it can also cause trouble especially if any of these apps crashes or gets corrupted. To ensure that this isn’t what’s triggering Instagram to act up, better clear them all.
Second solution: Restart/soft reset your iPhone XR.
If closing and restarting the application doesn’t solve the problem, app glitches may not be the only culprit. Hence the next factor to rule out would be minor errors on the iPhone system or iOS. To deal with minor software errors that might have caused Instagram to stop working, performing a soft reset or reboot on the iPhone would usually suffice. So if you haven’t restarted already, continue with these steps:
- Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
- Release the buttons when the Slide to Power Off command appears and then drag the power off slider to the right.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power/Side button again until the phone reboots.
Performing a soft reset also helps clear out temporary files that are stored as cache on the phone memory. If any of these cached files are causing conflicts to Instagram, then everything should work properly again after the phone reboots.
Third solution: Update Instagram to the latest version.
Keeping apps up to date is recommended. Just like your iPhone system, apps are also maintained by updates. Thus app developers are likewise rolling out periodic app updates. Every new update released for an application has vital purpose and that’s mainly to keep the app working stable and free of flaws. If you haven’t set your apps to auto-update, then you need to manually install new app updates on your device. Among the key requisites to get this done are a stable Wi-Fi internet access and sufficient storage. If all update requirements are complied, then follow these steps to manually install pending app updates, particularly Instagram on your iPhone XR:
- From the Home screen, tap App Store.
- Scroll down to the bottom part of the screen and then tap on the Updates tab. Doing so will open a list of pending app updates.
- Tap the Update button next to Instagram app or select the option to Update All apps simultaneously.
To ensure that all new changes are properly implemented, restart your iPhone after updating apps. Then retry launching Instagram and see if the problem is gone.
Fourth solution: Reinstall Instagram on your phone.
The problem you’re dealing with can be due to a more complex application error or it could be that the Instagram application has been totally ravaged. If this is the case, then the only way for you to fix the problem is to reinstall the application. This also requires you to delete or uninstall the erratic app beforehand. Here’s how it’s done:
- From the Home screen, lightly touch and hold the Instagram app icon until it jiggles. Do not press too firmly to avoid opening the Quick Actions menu.
- Then tap on the X at the upper-left corner of the Instagram app preview.
- Tap Delete when prompted to confirm action.
Another way to delete or uninstall the app is through your iPhone settings. In case you find this way better, use this method to delete Instagram on your iPhone XR:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Scroll down the left menu then select General.
- Tap iPhone Storage.
- Select Instagram from the list of apps.
- Tap the option to Delete App.
- If prompted, tap Delete App to confirm.
Restart or soft reset your iPhone after successfully deleting the application. After the phone reboots, follow these steps to reinstall Instagram from the App Store:
- From your Home screen, tap on the App Store icon to open the application.
- On the App Store start page, tap the search icon (magnifying glass) at the bottom right.
- Enter the name of the app (Instagram) you want to reinstall then tap the search button.
- Select the app from the search result then follow the onscreen instructions to download and install the app on your iPhone XR.
Wait for the application to finish installing then reboot your iPhone when it’s done. As soon as your phone boots up, launch the recently installed Instagram app and see if everything works as intended.
Fifth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone XR.
The above procedures would usually suffice if the underlying cause of the problem lies from within the Instagram application. But if the symptoms recur even after uninstalling and reinstalling the erratic app, then there must be some other triggers. At this point, you will need to troubleshoot your device software to rule out all possible triggers. You can start working on incorrect settings or invalid configurations on your device. Thus, the next recommended solution would be a settings reset. This reset will wipe all customized settings from the phone and then restores the default values. There’s no need to worry of losing critical information in the process because this won’t affect any saved data on the phone’s internal memory. Here’s how it’s done:
- From your Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down to and then tap on Reset.
- Select the option to Reset all settings.
- If prompted, enter your passcode to proceed.
- Tap the option to confirm all settings RESET.
Wait for your device to finish clearing all customized settings. It will reboot automatically when the reset is finished and then loads the default options and original values. In order to use features of your iPhone that are disabled or turned off by default, you will need to enable them first individually.
Seek more help
If Instagram is still not working after performing all prior solutions and tweaks, there’s a higher chance that the problem isn’t really on your end but rather on the Instagram server itself. To figure this out, try to open Instagram on your other device (if available). If Instagram isn’t working or showing similar symptoms on your other device, then that’s one possible indication. In this case, you can escalate the problem to Instagram support for further assistance and recommendations. Apparently, there’s not much can be done to fix the app on your end. You can use other alternative apps that serve akin purpose until Instagram is back up and running smoothly again.
I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!