Most of the time, Instagram being one of the most popular social networks, runs smoothly along with providing a lot of exciting features to its users.

But, like all platforms have their own problems and flaws, Instagram also sometimes crashes, due to which users get “Could not refresh Instagram feed” error.

What Does It Mean to Get ‘Could Not Refresh Feed’ Error Message?

The inability to refresh the feed is one of the most frequently reported Instagram bugs by many Instagram users around the world.

According to them, you might be able to open the app on your mobile as usual, but when you try to refresh the page to get new updates, the error message appears saying: [Could not refresh feed.]

Receive error message “Could not refresh feed” on Instagram.

Getting the “Could not refresh feed” message is probably one of the community’s least favorite errors because the inability to see the latest posts and stories is certainly annoying.

So, while trying to refresh your Instagram feed, if you have also received the error message that Instagram feed cannot refresh, there is no need to worry because we are here to help you.

Although this issue is more prevalent on Instagram Android apps, there are no less cases of experiencing it on Instagram iOS apps. So, in this post, we will discuss how to resolve the “Couldn’t refresh feed” issue on both iOS and Android Instagram app.

But, as you must be wondering ‘Why does my Instagram say I couldn’t refresh feed’ so before we move on to the troubleshooting part, it is worth mentioning the reasons that lead to this particular error.

Reasons Why Can’t You Refresh Feed On Instagram

Here are listed some potential reasons why you can’t refresh your Instagram feed—

  • Internet Connection Is Slow
  • Outdated Instagram App
  • Instagram Servers Down
  • Instagram’s Cache Is Full
  • Incorrect Time and Date
  • Restricted Data Usage
  • A Software Glitch
  • Usage of Third Party Apps
  • Your Account Blocked by Instagram

Now that you are aware of the reasons why your Instagram app fails to refresh the feed; it is time to learn how to get rid of “Instagram feed cannot be refreshed” error message.

13+ Workaround to Fix Instagram Couldn’t Refresh Feed

You can try your hands on these below discussed solutions to fix Instagram couldn’t refresh feed on your respective (Android | iPhone) mobile. 

Note: You need not have to try them all, instead work your way down the list until you are able to solve the problem.

Check Your Network Connection

The first and foremost reason why you couldn’t refresh your feed on Instagram can be related to your network connection.

Instagram couldn’t refresh the feed until and unless you’ve a strong and stable internet connection on your (Android or iPhone) mobile. 

So, the first thing you should do to get rid of the error in question is to check your (mobile data or Wi-Fi) network connection to ensure the same is well-connected and has enough speed & signal to successfully refresh Instagram feed.

That said, you can test your internet speed either by opening another app, or by visiting a page in your browser.

Alternatively, you can also visit the Speed Test website to check the speed of the network connection to which you have connected your device!

Hit the ‘Go’ button to test your respective internet speed.

If the other app or the page you visited also loads slowly, it indicates a weak network signal. So then, you either consider using Instagram later when the network signal is better, or you can contact your service provider to fix the internet connection problem.

Tip: You can also switch between your cellular data and Wi-Fi data to see which one works better.

Verify Instagram Servers Status

Another major reason for this error is somewhat related to the status of Instagram servers. If Instagram servers are not working properly, Instagram won’t refresh the feed and load the latest photos and videos.

Thus, you have to make sure that Instagram servers are up and running as incidents of Instagram’s servers down have been reported several times throughout the years. 

So, it would not be surprising at all if Instagram servers are currently overloaded due to the unprecedented demand from its 1 billion+ users and throwing up this particular problem.

To confirm this, you can visit the Down Detector website and search Instagram.

Hit ‘I have  a problem with Instagram button on Downdetector website to check if the server is down or not.

Note: You can also go to the official Twitter account of Instagram and check for updates and trending topics to confirm if Instagram is down or not.

There, if you see the huge outrage spikes reported by other users then, unfortunately, you have no other choice but to wait for Instagram to fix the problem on their behalf.

Restart Your Phone

Since, it has been seen that rebooting the system fixes many types of errors and problems so, if you are still experiencing the error “could not refresh feed” then you should restart your respective phone and see if that helps you fix the problem or not.

Note: This trick may not work for everyone, but there is no harm in trying it.

Force Stop the Instagram App

If restarting your phone doesn’t prove to be helpful, you can try to force stop the Instagram app to fix the “Could not refresh Instagram feed” error that you are facing.

Just as Force Quit on Mac and End Task works on Windows, Force Stopping Instagram app on Android/iPhone completely closes all activity related to the app in background and doing so may resolve the error in question.

Note: The process to quit the Instagram app depends on whether you have an iPhone or an Android smartphone.

Tap on ‘Force Stop’ button to force quit Instagram app.

Log Out and Log In to Your Instagram Account

Next, you can simply try to log out and log in to the Instagram app again to see if the “Could not refresh feed” error gets resolved this way. 

Log out and log in to the Instagram app again.

Clear the Instagram App’s Cache 

Albeit, Instagram collects cache in the background to make your frequently visited pages and accounts load quickly. But, with regards to the same, it is worth noting that if Instagram’s cache memory gets full, the app may malfunction and fail to refresh the feed. 

Also, do note that a corrupt cache can throw a “Cannot refresh feed” error at you. Thus, another great recommendation to fix the “Could not refresh Instagram feed” issue and to boost the app’s performance is to clear the cache of your Instagram app. 

To do this; open your respective device’s apps list to find the Instagram app and then, simply select the ‘Clear cache’ option to delete all cache files saved by Instagram on your device.

Hit the ‘Clear cache’ option to delete all cache files saved by Instagram on your device.

Note: Do not confuse this with the “Clear Data” option because if you select the Clear data button instead of the Clear cache button, you will permanently delete your useful and important information.

Increase Instagram’s Set Data Usage Limits

As you might know, Instagram has a feature wherein users can set the maximum cellular data usage by the app in a given period. So, if you have also enabled this feature, it is worth noting that when the set data limit is exceeded, the app restricts you from uploading or viewing photos and videos.

Keeping this in mind, you need to check if the set data limit has been exhausted or not. 

If so, you need to increase the data limit for Instagram from within the app. For this, you have to navigate to the settings of your Instagram account profile and there, scroll down and simply tap on ‘Mobile/Cellular data usage’ to turn off ‘Use less data’ option and in turn, increase the limit.

Tap on ‘Mobile/Cellular data usage’ to turn off ‘Use less data’ option and in turn, increase the limit.

Change Time and Date Status to Automatic

You may wonder how this is related to the error in question. So, let us tell you that, if you have manually set the time and date on your phone, and they do not match with the Instagram time and date, then Instagram may not work properly and prevent your Instagram feed from refreshing.

Therefore, you must have the correct date and time on your device to not encounter such errors on Instagram. For that, make sure your date and time settings are set to Automatic. 

Turn on ‘Set Time Automatically’ button to set your date and time to Automatic.

Note: When you set your date and time to Automatic, it will update it to the current date and time. And, doing so is expected to solve the problem

Check for Blocked Access and Use Instagram on Another Device / Browser

If specifically, you see a message stating “Action Blocked,” it means that you have been blocked by Instagram for some reason as Instagram monitors the behavior of each user and if it detects anything unusual, it can restrict usage.

Considering that, you can try some quick fixes that include completing your profile information and logging in to your Instagram account from another device or logging in to Instagram.com to check if you can refresh the feed from your browser. 

Go to ‘Instagram.com’ to open Instagram on Web browser.

Stop Using Third-Party Apps

Even after using Instagram on another device, you can’t refresh your feed then; you might be using third-party apps on your default device and thus, facing this issue in question.

However, worry not; chances are when you stop using a third-party app or an automation tool on your device, you can get rid of the “couldn’t refresh feed on Instagram” issue.

Update the Instagram App

Not to mention, you need to timely update your Instagram app as this ensures its smooth operation and promises better stability and reliability.

So, check whether you’re running the latest version of the Instagram app or not. If not, chances are you’re facing the error in question because of this! 

However, better late than never, you can go to the Play Store (on Android phones) or the App Store (on iPhones) > search for Instagram > tap on the ‘Update’ button to download and install the latest version of your Instagram app in no real time.

Tap on the ‘Update button

Bonus: Set Up the Auto-Update Feature 

If you do not have a habit of updating apps regularly from the App Store or Google Play Store then, like most users have automatic updates enabled, you can also enable “auto-update” feature via turning on “Apps and Apps Updates” options in the ‘Automatic Downloads’ section.

Doing so, you will always have the latest available version of the Instagram application on your smartphone. 

 To enable “auto-update” feature, turn on “Apps and Apps Updates” options in the ‘Automatic Downloads’ section.

Reinstall the Instagram App

Sometimes, when nothing works, uninstalling and reinstalling the Instagram app may resolve the issue. So, considering the same, you should first uninstall and then, reinstall Instagram to check if it helps you resolve the issue in question or not!

Uninstall and reinstall the Instagram app.

Report the Issue to Instagram Support 

Last but not least, if none of the above solutions helps you get rid of this “Couldn’t refresh feed” problem, you can report the issue to Instagram Support by logging in to your Instagram account and navigating to ‘Settings’ > ‘Help’ section. There, tap the ‘Report a Problem’ option followed by describing the issue because of which you’re facing the ‘Couldn’t refresh feed’ error. 

Navigate to ‘Settings’ > ‘Help’ section and there, tap the ‘Report a Problem’ option.

Now, you just have to submit the issue and wait for the Instagram Support team to respond and take the necessary actions so that you don’t encounter such a problem again.

Bottom Line

That’s all! With the help of this troubleshooting guide, you can easily get rid of the “could not refresh feed” error message on Instagram and hopefully not face it again. However, even if you encounter it again, you at least now know how to solve it!

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