News
Instagram's new Stories feature has been out for a month now, and users are loving it. Much like Snapchat Stories, the feature allows users to create slideshows that disappear after 24 hours. They're the quick, easy-to-digest snacks of the social media app. And sometimes, they don't work. All new technology gets buggy at first, and when Instagram Stories won't load, it can make users frantic.
While there haven't been any major Stories outages in the month since it's been released, there have been isolated cases of Stories not showing up from time to time, and some users report that it varies based on which account they're logged into, what device they're accessing their account from, or even which mobile carrier they're using. Instagram's Help Center states that Stories is still "in the process of rolling out to everyone" and "may not currently be available in your area," but some users report that they definitely had Stories at one point, only to have the feature disappear completely. It's uncommon and very, very random, so it could happen to anyone. Don't freak out, though. In dark times like these, it's best to be prepared so that, if the worst comes to pass, you'll know what to do. Start with these tips:
Reboot
Maybe your dumb phone is just being dumb. It happens. You know how whenever you call the help desk for any issue with any electronic device, ever, the first thing they ask you is if you've tried rebooting? That's because it solves roughly 95 percent of problems, according to my completely random estimate. It works much in the same way a timeout works on a child; your phone experiences a brief period of being away from you, thinks about what it's done, and then comes back with better attitude (or maybe it just frees up memory, whatever). Take out the battery for 10 seconds, if you're able, just to really show it who's boss.
Freak Out
Try a little primal scream therapy. It's unhealthy to repress all that rage.
Force Close
You can also try restarting the Instagram app itself by tapping the home button twice on your iPhone, or touching the window icon on Android and then swiping up. Call the app a swear word. Doesn't that feel good? Now open it back up and see if that helped.
Take A Walk
I know it's hard to live without a screen in front of your face, so maybe download Pokémon Go.
Download The Latest Version
Users who have never had Stories might just be using an outdated version of the app. Downloading the latest version should make it show up.
Read A Book
That didn't help, either? Buy Kim Kardashian's book, Selfish, and it'll feel like you're flipping through her Instagram feed. Don't like a "post"? Just "swipe" left to see the next one!
Uninstall
Trying deleting Instagram altogether. Go get a snack. Eat it at a leisurely pace, then come back to your phone and reinstall it.
Hunker Down
Still no Stories? Gather all the blankets, sheets, and pillows in your home and build a giant fort. Stock it with potato chips, boxed wine, and a television that's hooked up to Netflix. Crawl inside and give up on life.
