Instagram users frustrated as bug makes Stories vanish and app unlaunchable for some

Instagram has been acting up for many users over the last few hours. Users are taking to X and Reddit to report that their Stories feed seems to have completely disappeared.

Reports from affected individuals suggest that the Stories bar, which usually sits at the top of the app’s feed, is not showing up at all. For others, only Story Highlights are visible while the fresh, 24-hour posts from friends and followed accounts are nowhere to be found.

Reddit user u/Garfieeeeeld asked, “What is going on?” after noticing their Stories feed was empty.

Another user, u/_unicorn25, created a thread titled “not showing friends story helpppp,” which highlights the same situation many others are stuck in.

Over on X, user @taytaymareew shared their frustration, showing they could only see one Story (it was a live stream). Similarly, @switchblade_xo posted, “I can’t able to see my followers stroy what the f*k”

The vanishing Stories aren’t the only problem plaguing the platform. A number of users have also been reporting that the Instagram app itself has become unusable, either refusing to launch or crashing immediately upon being opened.

Personally, I was unable to reproduce either of these issues on three separate Android smartphones and an iPhone. Instagram works just fine and I can see the Stories feed without any issues.

Early reports of the app failing to open were shared by users like @ajaynarainkaul. While the problem may have been resolved for some, others are still struggling. X user @cookhy_ posted, “Instagram is down for me since yesterday evening, app is not opening,” indicating the issue is ongoing.

If you’re still stuck in the same boat, the best you can do is just wait it out. Since it seems like the two issues are likely due to a server-side bug, it’ll likely be fixed sooner rather than later. 

Feel free to drop a comment below to let us know if you’re still facing these issues or if it has been fixed.