Have you ever noticed your Instagram lag while browsing? Despite our smartphones having great processors and high refresh rate screens, apps can still lag due to their intensive resource requirements. Whether you use an iPhone or an Android, try out some of these solutions if your Instagram app is lagging.
1. Force Stop and Restart Instagram
Sometimes the simplest solutions are exactly what you need. The app can sometimes just bug out while trying to load a picture or video. Try exiting the app and force stopping it. Force stopping shuts down all processes. To force stop an app, follow the steps below:
- Select Settings.
- Select Apps & notifications > See all X apps.
- Scroll down to Instagram.
- Select Force Stop.
If you use an iPhone, you can force close an app from the App Switcher. Simply swipe from the bottom to the middle of your screen and hold to access the App Switcher. Then, swipe up on the Instagram app preview to close it. If this doesn’t work, try restarting your phone. If restarting has no effect, let’s move on to the next solution.
2. Clear Instagram Cache and Storage
The next step is to try clearing the Instagram app’s cache and storage. The cache is data saved to make your app run more smoothly. Clearing it does not cause any harm, but you will notice your app running more slowly. Sometimes your cache can get corrupted, or it can cause issues due to bad files. To clean your cache, follow the steps below;
- Select Settings.
- Select Apps & notifications > See all X apps.
- Scroll down to Instagram.
- Select Storage & cache.
- Select Clear Cache.
If this yields no results, then try clearing Instagram’s data. Unlike the cache, this will remove all your Instagram data, reverting to a fresh, new app. You don’t have to worry about anything, as Instagram still saves all your data online. To clear your data, follow the same steps as above, but this time, select Clear Storage on the Storage & cache page.
Once you’re done, restart your phone before opening the app again. This helps eliminate any running processes that might be affecting the app’s performance.
Unlike Android, iOS does not offer an identical way to clear app cache and data. However, you can clear Instagram’s search history to see if it fixes the issue. Go to Settings > Security > Clear Search History within the Instagram app to do this.
3. Update the Instagram App
Not every error is on you. The problem doesn’t have to be coming from your phone or because of something you did. There are chances that the lag could be due to a bug from Instagram’s side. Whether this is a server issue or something to do with the app, you should search online for any recent news.
Try checking your app store and see if you can find a new update for the app. Submit a bug report about your experience and wait until they release a new update to address the issue. It’s important to remember that you are never the only one who’s dealing with the problem.
4. Ensure You Have Sufficient RAM
RAM is highly vital for any smartphone in 2021. As apps grow larger and more complex, they become much more convenient and exciting to use, but the downside is that they require a lot of resources. One of these resources is RAM.
RAM is a type of memory that stores all the apps you’ve opened ever since the moment you turn your phone on. It allows you to return to an app and pick up from where you left off. When we consider heavy apps like Instagram, they tend to use a fair share of RAM to store themselves. Hence, if you have a small amount of RAM, it may cause performance issues. Instagram Lite is a good option for users whose smartphones may be outdated or not powerful enough.
Be Prepared for the Future of Instagram
Apps are only going to become more powerful. It’s important to determine your priorities when purchasing a smartphone. There is no need to get the latest, high-end devices, but you should consider the future and how you plan to use your smartphone.
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