Possible Solutions to Fix Instagram Not Opening on iPhone

Instagram, the social media powerhouse, experienced significant outages on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. Users flocked to X to voice their frustrations regarding these technical difficulties. While some encountered a perpetual loading screen, others faced issues with the app crashing immediately upon launch.

Interestingly, these problems appeared to affect only iPhone users. In this article, I will guide you on how to resolve the issue of Instagram not opening on iPhones and discuss potential causes behind it.

How to Fix Instagram Not Opening on iPhone

The failure of Instagram to open on iPhones seems to stem from the recent iOS 18 update. Many users who upgraded their devices to iOS 18 have not yet updated their Instagram app to the compatible version, which is likely the primary culprit behind these issues. Updating the app should rectify the problem.

Here’s how you can update the Instagram app:

Open the App Store on your iPhone.
Tap on the User Profile icon located at the top-right corner of the screen.
Scroll down to locate the Instagram app in the list.
Hit the Update button next to the Instagram app.
Once the update completes, you should be able to launch the app without issues.

What Happened to Instagram on iPhone?

According to Downdetector, a platform that monitors real-time network outages, Instagram experienced widespread downtimes affecting users globally. The first reports of the issue emerged around 2:30 PM PT, with an increasing number of users chiming in on X to see if others were facing similar problems.

User @opticblast reported on X that the Instagram app force closed immediately upon clicking. In response, another user inquired if they were on iOS 18, mentioning that their iPhone encountered the same issues while the app functioned correctly on their Samsung device.

This suggests that the Instagram problems are primarily affecting iPhone users. Additionally, given that the iOS 18 update was released just two days ago, it’s possible that changes in the new iOS could be contributing to these issues.

If the root of the problem lies within the iPhone update, a simple app update can easily resolve it. Instagram rolled out an update soon after the iOS 18 release, which is optimized for the new operating system.

Users who have not yet upgraded to the latest iOS version are reporting no problems using Instagram. I myself haven’t updated my iPhone to iOS 18, and my Instagram runs perfectly. Consequently, it seems only those with iOS 18 are facing this specific Instagram app issue, which can be rectified by updating the app.

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