How to Fix Instagram Reels Not Working Issue?

There are some instances where you cannot view, upload, or share reels with your friends. When talking about uploading content, the uploads work properly but there is no audio, sometimes the reel is upside down, the tagging mechanism doesn’t work, the text does not display, the filters are missing or the cover photo is missing.

We’ve seen this occur to almost all devices while in some instances, issues only occur when you are uploading a high-quality video. In some rare cases, you are not able to edit reels that you saved as a draft. 

1. Force Close Instagram and Clear its Cache

This issue might occur when your application is in an error state or its internal modules aren’t operating as expected. In such a case, force closing the Instagram app and clearing its cache may resolve the issue. 

Do note that on an iPhone, you would have to restart your phone, as force-closing the application doesn’t clear the cache. If the issue has started to occur after traveling to another country, you may have to wait for 2 to 3 weeks until the feature returns to normal (if reels are supported in that country).

1. Exit the Instagram app and press the Recent Apps button.
2. Now, tap on Close All and then launch the Android phone Settings.

   

3. Then open Application Manager and find the Instagram app.

   

4. Now select Instagram and in the resulting menu, tap on Force Stop.

   

5. Then confirm to force close the Instagram app and then open the Storage option.

   

6. Now tap on the Clear Cache button and then press the Home button to return to the phone’s Home screen. 
7. Then launch the Instagram app and check if the reels feature is back to normal.

2. Update Instagram to the Latest Version

You might be able to resolve this issue by updating the app to the latest version. The incompatibility between your outdated app and IG servers might cause problems. The outdated version might also have bugs which are fixed in the newer one. Updating the application can solve all these problems. 

1. Launch the Google Play Store and tap in the Search box.
2. Now type Instagram and tap on the Search icon.
3. Then open Instagram and if an update is available, press the Update button.

   

4. Now, wait till the process completes, and once done, launch Instagram and check if its Reels problem is solved.
5. If that fails, check if uploading reels without editing in Instagram (you can edit the video prior to any other video editing software) solves the problem.
6. If the issue persists, check if changing the file type of the reels (if the problem is occurring while uploading the reel) resolves the issue e.g., if the problem is occurring with MOV type, check if converting the file type to MP4 clears the problem.

3. Update your Device’s OS 

We can also solve issues with reels by updating the device’s OS to the latest build. An outdated OS may make the web requests of Instagram incompatible with the app’s servers and thus cause various issues.

In this case, updating the device’s OS to the latest build may resolve the Instagram issue. Before proceeding, connect the Android phone to a Wi-Fi network and ensure that a phone’s backup is created.

1. Launch Settings on your Android Phone and scroll down to the bottom of the menu.
2. Now select About Device and open Software Update.

   

3. Then check if an Android OS update for your phone is available.
4. If an update is available, download the update, and once downloaded, install it.
5. Now, wait till the update installs, and once done, restart the phone.
6. Upon restart, check for an update in the Google Play Store for the Instagram app (as discussed earlier) and if available, install the app update.
7. Now launch Instagram and check if the reels option is operating properly.

4. Change Your Instagram Profile Category

You may also solve problems with the reel module by changing your profile category on Instagram. The reels feature may not work properly if Instagram servers are failing to verify your profile category due to a glitch. In such a case, changing your Instagram profile category and then reverting it will resolve the issue.

1. Launch the Instagram app, steer to the Profile tab, and tap on the hamburger menu in the top right.
2. Now open Settings and select Privacy.

   

3. Then enable the option of Private Account and wait for a minute. If the issue is occurring with a business account, convert it to Personal Account.

   

4. Now revert the account to the Public profile and afterwards, check if Instagram Reels are operating properly.

5. Delete and Restore the Reels on the Instagram App

There are instances where after posting a reel, the audio becomes unavailable, the reel becomes inverted, or the profile grid option is missing. In such a case, deleting the reels and restoring them can solve the glitch.

1. Launch the Instagram app and open its Menu in the profile tab.
2. Now select Settings and open Account.
3. Then tap on Recently Deleted and select the problematic reel.

   

4. Now tap on Restore and then enter the Instagram password or security code (if asked to).

   

5. Once restored, check if the reels issue is cleared.
6. If not and the issue is occurring while uploading the reel, then tap on Download Saved video while in the preview or edit mode of the reel, and then check if uploading that saved download (without editing) as a new reel clears the problem.

6. Re-log into the Instagram App

Reels is an account and location-based feature, not a device-based feature. Due to a temporary authorization glitch, Instagram servers may fail to properly serve the reels feature to the app on your phone. In this scenario, re-logging into the Instagram app can resolve the reels issue.

Note: All the reels in your drafts will be lost. 

1. Head to the Profile tab in the Instagram app and tap on the 3 vertical bars (hamburger menu) in the top right.

   

2. Then select Settings and scroll down to the bottom.

   

3. Now tap on Log Out and confirm to sign out of the Instagram app.

   

4. Then restart your phone and relaunch Instagram.
5. Now log in using your credentials and then check if the feature is working properly.
6. If that fails, check if changing the Instagram password solves the problem.
7. If the issue persists, check if adding more than one photo or video (half a second clip) to your reel lets you upload the reel without error.

8. Reinstall the Instagram App

If none of the above methods works, we can be sure that your installation is incomplete or has issues within it. This can usually occur during the update process of the application. In this scenario, reinstalling the Instagram app may solve issues with the reels module. 

For the demonstration, we will go through the process of reinstalling the Instagram app on an Android phone. Before moving ahead, make sure that you have access to the Instagram credentials to re-log into Instagram.

1. Firstly, log out of the Instagram app (as discussed earlier).
2. Then launch Settings of the Android phone and open the Application Manager.
3. Now scroll down and open Instagram.
4. Then tap on Force Stop and confirm to force stop the Instagram app.
5. Now open the Storage option of Instagram and in the resulting menu, tap on Clear Cache.
6. Then press on the Clear Data button and confirm to delete the Instagram data.
7. Now press the back button and tap on Uninstall.

   

8. Then confirm to uninstall the Instagram app and once done, restart the phone.
9. Upon restart, launch Google Play Store and search for Instagram.
10. Now tap on Install and wait till the installation completes.
11. Then launch/log into Instagram and hopefully, reels will be working properly.
12. If that does not work, check if installing and launching Instagram from your phone’s secure folder (if supported) clears the reels problem.
13. If the issue persists and your phone supports dual or parallel apps, create a dual app of the Instagram app and check if the Reels feature works normally in that app.

If that fails to rectify the problem, check if the Reels feature works properly on another account on Instagram. If that does not do the trick, you may install an older version of Instagram to check if reels are working normally in that version.

However, we strongly recommend against installing an older Instagram version due to security/privacy concerns. You may use a browser extension (like Insist) or an Android emulator to view/upload reels on Instagram till the problem is rectified with the phone app.