It happened to everyone at least once. You open your Instagram feed and swipe down to refresh the page. However, you’re met with the Couldn’t refresh feed error on Instagram and no matter how many times you tried, the result stays the same. Unless Instagram is down again, the problem is, most likely, on your side. Learn how to fix it below.
Table of contents:
- Check if the Instagram is down
- Clear the app data
- Check your internet connection
- Reinstall Instagram
- Leave the beta program for Instagram
Solution 1 – Check if the Instagram is down
This is the first thing to do. Yes, the error primarily appears to point towards connectivity issues but we’re sure that Wi-Fi or mobile data work without issues on your device most of the time. So, what’s the problem then? Global outages. Although they happen rarely, you still should check if the problem bothers everyone before moving to troubleshoot your device.
You can find out if Instagram is down on the Down Detector website. Or check their Twitter handle. If the service is not down and everything is working on the server side, try fixing the problem with the steps we provided below.
Solution 2 – Clear the app data
Clearing the app’s cache is one of the most widely-recommended solutions you can find for just about any app-related problem. It probably won’t help, but it might sometimes. Have in mind that this will log you out of the app so you’ll need to log in again.
Here’s how to clear data from Instagram on Android:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Apps. Expand all apps.
- Open Instagram.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear data.
- Confirm and restart your device.
- Sign in and check for improvements.
If you still get the Couldn’t refresh feed error on Instagram, double-check the network.
Solution 3 – Check your internet connection
Neither Instagram nor any other internet-dependent app will work without a stable internet connection. So, if you’re not able to connect to the internet using Chrome or any other app, you know what the problem is.
If the internet connection is indeed the issue here, check out this article for some more troubleshooting tips. You want to restart your router, forget the network and connect again and, if that fails, Reset Network Settings.
Also, if you use Mobile Data to browse Instagram, make sure that Instagram has permission to use it. Navigate to Settings > Apps > Instagram > Mobile Data & Wi-Fi and allow Instagram to use mobile data in the background.
Solution 4 – Reinstall Instagram
Reinstallation is another essential troubleshooting method. Just like it’s the case with clearing the app cache, it might be helpful sometimes. On top of that, when you reinstall the app, you always get the most recent update on the app.
Here’s how to reinstall the Instagram app on Android:
- Open the Play Store, and search for Instagram. Expand the app.
- On the Instagram page, tap the Uninstall button.
- Once the app is removed, reboot your Android.
- Now, head back to the Store and install Instagram again.
- Sign in again with your credentials and check if the feed is loading or not.
Solution 5 – Leave the beta program for Instagram
Finally, we can only recommend leaving the beta program for Instagram or downgrading Instagram to an older version with an APK. To leave the beta program for Instagram, open Instagram in Play Store. Swipe down and tap Leave to exit to stop receiving beta releases.
To roll back Instagram with an APK, check the steps we provided in this article. There’s everything you need to know about APKs and how to sideload them on your device. Just don’t forget to uninstall the Instagram app before sideloading an older version APK.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, just leave them in the comments down below. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for reading and we hope that this was a helpful read.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in September 2018. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.
