Instagram users in India are experiencing glitches on the platform over the last 24 hours. The app has locked users out of the app, a problem that took hold Wednesday morning, as reported by Downdetector.
Quick Facts
- Around 500 Indian users were unable to use Instagram, Downdetector reported
- The online platform is a provider of real-time updates about the workings of websites and similar services
- Direct messaging was blocked for some Instagram users
- 52% of affected users were experiencing problems with the app, 36% were fighting a bad server connection and another 12% of users couldn’t log in
There was a surge in the outage at 11 am on Wednesday but the Meta-owned app hasn’t commented. Similar to last October when a massive population of users reported issues within the app, Instagram is exhibiting similar issues.
Back then, the social media company apologized for the outage. “We’re aware that some of you are having trouble accessing your Instagram account. We’re looking into it and apologize for the inconvenience,” it shared.
Is it a technical glitch or a cyberattack?
Downdetector flagged the incident due to the increasing number of complaints. When reports are substantially higher than the usual quantity for that particular time of the day, the company flags it.
India was previously subjected to a Whatsapp outage a day after Diwali 2022 as a result of which messaging services were blocked on the platform. The outage continued for around two hours making it one of the longest on the site.
Once the services were resumed, Meta notified users about the situation. “The brief outage was a result of a technical error on our part and has now been resolved,” it announced.
Shortly after, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) demanded a report from Meta citing the reason for the outage which was to be sent to ICERT, the main government agency of cybersecurity.
It wanted to investigate whether the problem was a result of a cyberattack or a technical glitch. According to the report, users couldn’t use their DMs or the Direct Messages feature to connect with each other.
Instagram users turned to Twitter
In the wake of Instagram’s unfortunate outage incident, users of the platform started to voice their frustrations on Twitter. The microblogging site has witnessed multiple glitches and errors springing up in its security system ever since Elon Musk took over in October 2022.
Starting from losing advertisers to the controversial relaunch of its paid subscription service Twitter Blue, the platform has seen it all. Instagram meanwhile, is trying to revert back to its original mission by prioritizing posting pictures more than reels.
However, in an age where social media platforms are under constant public scrutiny, the news will not weigh in positively for Instagram. For now, users afflicted by the outage could follow a few troubleshooting steps listed below to continue using the platform.
How to fix your Instagram if DM not working?
Instagram’s DM crisis could have many reasons behind it. Let’s discuss some of them and the ways to fix these issues.
1. Check your server
Instagram could be guilty of causing DM blockages as the platform is run by its servers which might fail to work sometimes. In such scenarios, going to Downdetector is the best option.
You should look up Instagram and check for unusual outage surges. If it’s facing an increased number of failures than normal days, users have to wait for Instagram to fix the issue.
2. Enable Instagram’s mobile data (iPhone):
iOS users might sometimes switch off their mobile data for Instagram. The mobile data toggle for Instagram from Settings should be on whenever the app is being used.
3. Force Instagram to stop (Android):
Android users can force-stop the app from the App Info menu and retry sending messages if they’re not being delivered.
4. Instagram Cache Delete:
Sometimes, the presence of excessive Instagram cache data could cause the app to lag. Through the App details menu, you can clear the cache.
5. Logout of Instagram:
It is also advised to log out of your account and then log back in if the app stops working properly.
6. Use Instagram Web Instagram:
If these other options don’t work, using the Instagram web could solve the issue.
7. Use the Instagram app’s threads:
Instagram has another app called Threads used for sending direct messages. You can use the platform to send texts to other people if the main app slows down.
8. Initiate a Conversation in Messages using other methods:
Other than opening DMS and connecting with people, users can also send posts from the Account menu, and click on the Send symbol to message others.
