Instagram allows not only sharing photos but also short videos. Moreover, the latter are increasingly appearing in the feed. Sometimes, a published clip simply does not play. What to do in such a situation? In this article, we will find out why Instagram does not play videos and how to fix the problem. Stay with us and you will definitely find a solution that will be correct and help you watch your favorite animated post.
Why video doesn’t load on Instagram: all the reasons
Let’s get down to business right away and figure out why videos are not loading in the Instagram feed and stories. And since there are quite a few reasons, namely eight, we will give each one individual attention.
Slow internet speed
The first possible reason why videos are not playing on Instagram is a poor internet connection. Of course, the network coverage area is quite extensive nowadays, and even in the most remote areas, there is some speed available, but sometimes it is not enough.
Therefore, if you notice that pages are not loading at all or, for example, posts on social media are not opening, measure the amount of data transmitted over a certain period of time and compare it with what your operator’s tariff provides. This can be done using the well-known Speedtest service. To do this, you need to:
- Go to the Speedtest.net.ru website.
- Click on the “Go to test” button.
- Wait a few minutes.
If after conducting a couple of tests on your computer, the speed turns out to be very low, contact your provider to resolve the issue.
Important. The speed via Wi-Fi will be lower than via a direct connection.
Network failure
If the question of why the video in the story is not working is still relevant, pay attention to the second reason why the social network refuses to load the video. It is a network failure on the phone. To solve it, you will need to:
1. Hold down the power button on the gadget.
2. Select “Restart device.”
3. Wait for some time.
4. Go to the Instagram app.
5. Click on any video in the publication.
If the service still refuses to play the clip, move on to the next section.
Check firmware version
The third reason why Instagram doesn’t show videos in the feed or stories is an outdated operating system. This often causes errors not only in Instagram but also in many other social applications. To fix this problem, follow the step-by-step instructions below:
1. Unlock your smartphone screen and open the “Settings” section.
2. Select the “About phone” tab.
3. Click on “System update”.
4. Tap “Search” and let the phone find available updates.
5. Update the firmware to the latest version.
Standard gallery on Android
If a video on Instagram is not loading, the issue may be with the Android gallery. Typically, when trying to attach a file to a post from the device library, an error message saying “Import failed” appears.
To still be able to post short videos to your feed, you will need a new gallery. To do this, go to the Google Play Store and download the QuickPic utility. Then, follow these steps:
- Launch QuickPic on your phone.
- Select the appropriate clip to share on social media.
- Choose “Share” – “Instagram Feed”.
- Edit the video: apply a filter, adjust the tones and shadows.
- Post to your feed.
After these manipulations, the video should start playing for you and your followers.
Outdated version of Instagram
The fifth reason why a video may not load is an outdated version of the Instagram application. Perhaps you once checked the box in the settings for “Do not suggest updates and do not update automatically,” which led to your social network becoming outdated. As a result, various errors constantly occur.
Changing this is very easy, you will need:
- Go to the AppStore or Google Market.
- Log in to your account if the system did not do this automatically.
- Swipe the screen to the right.
- Click on “My games.”
- Scroll down to “Available updates.”
- Click on the “Update” button.
The application does not support the current OS version
It can also happen that Instagram does not support the version of the operating system installed on your gadget. This means that the phone is quite old and the developer simply stopped releasing current versions of the OS for it.
There are two solutions to this problem:
- check for updates in the settings and upgrade the OS to a newer version;
- purchase another smartphone.
Useful to know. Due to an outdated OS version, it will not be possible to download a favorite application to the phone.
Internal malfunction in the operation of Instagram
Most often, Instagram does not show videos in full due to a technical error in the application. It can occur for various reasons:
- overloaded cache and other junk;
- mass failure in the social network, etc.
In any case, you need to deal with it like this:
- Delete the program from your phone.
- Go to the built-in OS cleaner or install it through the Market.
- Clear the cache.
- Download Insta again.
- Log in to your profile and play any video.
If it still does not play, contact customer support. To do this:
- Tap on the “person” icon and open your profile.
- Go to settings and click on the “Help” line.
- Select the “Help Center” section and click on the “Report a Problem” button.
- Briefly describe the situation.
- Wait for a response.
Inappropriate video format
The last, eighth reason why the video does not load is an unsuitable format for publication. The system only accepts files in MP4 format (on Windows and Samsung) or MOV format (Apple products). All other formats cannot be uploaded, as an error appears.
But nothing is impossible, even this problem can be solved with the help of a special converter. There are many such utilities and online services available, such as:
- Convertio;
- Movavi;
- Video Converter, etc.
Working with them is very simple:
- Select the file from the device library.
- Determine the final format and quality.
- Click “Convert” and save the result.
These are the most common reasons why Instagram does not upload videos. If the instructions in the article did not help you solve them, contact the user support service directly. You may have an individual error in the application.