Best Possible Ways to Fix Videos Freezing on Instagram Stories, Reels, and Posts

Despite having so much popularity and more than 2 billion total active users across the globe, Instagram is still going through some issues that we can’t deny. Irrespective of the Android and iOS mobile applications, plenty of users experience multiple conflicts or errors quite often. Instagram videos and reels are one of the most watched items on the platform but the videos have freezing issues. Now, if you’re also facing the same videos freezing on Instagram stories, reels, and posts then check the possible ways to fix it.

Instagram’s built-in camera option allows users to publish media content even though the quality is not the same as iPhones. At the same time, there are some compatibility issues due to the multiple screen sizes. Meanwhile, Instagram users have been facing random video glitches or freezes while playing and scrolling through the feeds for years now. Facebook Meta hasn’t made any improvements regarding this specific issue and affected users are waiting for this to be addressed soon.

Why Instagram Videos and Reels are Freezing?

Though there are plenty of other social media platforms you can access, Instagram has become one of the top five platforms to gain billions of active users and around 500 million active daily users in December 2023 as per some reports. Well, one thing we should mention is that even though Instagram stories or reels freeze at times, the audio of the content smoothly plays in the background without having any issues. So, as far as we assume, this is a basic video upload or streaming bug happening mostly from the platform servers.

Here's a quick demo of the Instagram freezing video issue.

As I scroll, this bike video starts playing but hangs. The sound keeps playing, and you can see the Watch Again prompt when the video ends.

We're going to try to get @instagram's attention to this bug. pic.twitter.com/hkj1ZXUWgn

— Artem Russakovskii (@ArtemR) February 11, 2022

If we take a brief look at the primary reasons behind video stutters or freezes on Instagram, it seems that internet connection conflicts and Instagram service downtime are quite common these days. Conflicts with the storage space on mobile devices, lack of free memory, an outdated Instagram application version, temporary cache data issues of the app, temporary system glitches, issues with the video upload, VPN-related issues, and more can be other potential reasons.

Best Possible Ways to Fix Videos Freezing on Instagram Stories, Reels, and Posts

Fortunately, here we’ve shared with you the potential workarounds that should come in handy. Make sure to follow all troubleshooting methods until the problem has been fixed. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.

1. Force Stop and Relaunch the Instagram App

First of all, you should force stop and relaunch the Instagram app on your handset to clear any kind of potential glitches. Sometimes a temporary cache issue with the application might trouble a lot. Just close the app and clear it from the recent panel. Now, run it again to check for the issue.

2. Force Restart Your Phone

A simple restart can also fix plenty of temporary glitches or cache data issues from your mobile device. Although this option may sound ridiculous to some people, it doesn’t cost you anything or doesn’t require any kind of effort either. Therefore, just try it out once and check if the problem has been fixed or not. If not then don’t worry. To restart your mobile device:

For Android:

• Long-press the Power button until the Power Menu appears.
• Now, select Restart > Your device will automatically reboot.

For iOS:

• Press and hold the Power+Volume Down buttons for a few seconds.
• The Slide to power off screen will appear.
• Drag the slider to power it off.
• Wait for a few seconds and long-press the Power button to turn it on.

3. Check the Network Connection

It seems that your internet connection is getting slow or unstable which might trigger video streaming or scrolling issues. You should check the internet connection properly. Make sure to turn off the Wi-Fi or mobile data connection and then turn it on. You can also select another Wi-Fi network or mobile hotspot to check for the issue further.

4. Update the Instagram App

You should ensure that whether you’re using an updated Instagram app on your mobile or not. If you’re running an outdated version that means the problem is happening at your end.

For Android:

• Open the Google Play Store app > Search for Instagram.
• Open the app page and select Update. (if available)
• Wait for it to update.
• Tap on Open.

For iOS:

• Open the Apple App Store on your iPhone.
• Tap on the search icon > Type Instagram and search for it.
• Tap on Instagram to open the app page.
• Now, select UPDATE. (if available)
• Once done, tap on OPEN.

5. Update the System Software

Mostly an outdated software version on your mobile device can also cause several issues like app crashes or video playback issues. So, if you’re one of the victims, make sure to update the mobile software to its latest version.

For Android:

• Tap on Settings > Tap on System.
• Select Advanced > Go to System Update.
• The system will automatically check for available updates.
• If available, tap on Download and Install.
• Once up-to-date, ensure to reboot your device.

Please Note: Keep in mind that the above steps may vary depending on your device model number. So, you can search for the software update option manually from the settings menu.

For iOS:

• Tap on Settings > Go to General.
• Select Software Update > It’ll automatically search for the available update.

• If available, tap on Download and Install.
• Enter the device passcode to proceed.
• Wait for the update to complete.
• Once done, your iPhone will automatically install the update.
• Finally, the iPhone will boot to the system.

6. Check If Instagram is Down

The chances are high enough that Instagram servers are having a rough phase for a while and technical issues causing downtime issues. If you’re also feeling the same issue then check the third-party Down Detector Instagram Status page for real-time info. At the time of writing this article, we can see that there has been a huge outage issue in the last 24 hours and plenty of users have reported about it. If you’re also seeing the server issue then wait for a couple of hours and try again later.

7. Turn Off Instagram’s Data Saver Mode

Instagram does offer a data saver option to its users that usually prevents the app content from preloading. Though this feature helps in reducing data consumption, your Instagram reels will take much longer time to play. So, you should try disabling the data saver mode on Instagram manually to ensure there is no issue with this.

For Android:

• Open the Instagram app > Tap on your account icon.
• Tap on Settings > Go to Account.
• Select Mobile data use.
• Turn Off the Data saver toggle.

For iOS:

• Open the Instagram app > Tap on your profile icon.
• Go to Settings > Tap on Mobile Data.
• Select Mobile Data Options.
• Disable the Low Data Mode toggle.

8. Disable VPN or Proxy Servers

You should try disabling the VPN (Virtual Private Network) service to avoid server connectivity errors. VPNs can help you connect to the service but increase ping delay. If you’re using a VPN and facing multiple issues with the Instagram reels then turn it off temporarily to check for the issue further.

9. Clear the Instagram Cache and Data

Clearing the cache data of the Instagram mobile app can simply fix multiple issues like crashing, lagging, video freezing, and more. So, it’s always better to clear the cache data completely of your application on the Android device. To do so:

For Android:

• Tap and hold the Instagram app from the home screen.
• Tap on App Info > Select Storage & cache.

• Now, tap on Clear Cache > Tap on Clear Storage.
• If prompted, confirm the task.
• Once done, reboot the device, and open Instagram again.

For iOS:

iPhone users can’t clear the app cache normally. You’ll need to uninstall and reinstall the Instagram app to remove the cache and storage data.

• Go to Settings > Tap on General.
• Head over to iPhone Storage.
• Scroll down and tap on Instagram.
• Tap on the Delete App button.
• After uninstalling, just restart your iPhone.
• Now, open the App Store > Search for Instagram.
• Tap on GET to reinstall the Instagram app again.
• Open the app and sign into the profile again.

10. Sign Out of Your Profile and Sign Back In

If you’re encountering such an issue then make sure to sign out of the profile and try signing back into the account again. Once done, you should check for the reels and videos whether the freezing or buffering issue has been fixed or not. To do so:

• Launch the Instagram app on your device.
• Tap on your profile icon at the bottom-right corner.
• Next, go to Settings > Tap on Log Out.
• Wait for a few seconds > Log in to the account again.

11. Close All Other Apps

It’s also quite common to encounter crashes and glitches with mobile applications if other applications running in the background. Make sure to close all applications from the recent panel and then run the Instagram app again. It’ll not only free up the memory but also improve the foreground app performance.

12. Turn Off Power Saving Mode

Make sure to manually turn off the power saving mode on your respective mobile device to check if the battery saver feature is conflicting with the Instagram video or reels freezing issues. To do so:

For Android:

• Go to Settings > Tap on Battery.
• Tap on Power Saver Mode to Turn it Off.

For iOS:

• Go to the Settings app > Tap on Battery.
• Turn Off the Low Power Mode feature.

13. Try Viewing the Instagram Video or Reel on Another Device

You can also try viewing the Instagram video or reel on a different device to ensure there is any freezing issue present or not. If the same issue persists that means the specific video or reel has some issue with the file size & low bitrate.

14. Delete the Video and Re-Upload It

You should also delete the video and re-upload it on your Instagram account again to ensure there is no issue with the reels freezing. Sometimes the video uploading issue might trigger such unexpected things.

15. Try Uploading a Low Bitrate Video

Are you unable to upload videos or reels on Instagram due to some unexpected reasons? If the video is playing perfectly well in the media player but you can’t upload it on Instagram then ensure the specific video file type is compatible with the Instagram platform.

You can post H.264 MP4 and MOV videos on your Instagram stories, reels, feeds, and IGTV. Do keep in mind that H.265 videos can’t run on Instagram. Ensure your uploaded video meets the following requirements to avoid playback issues.

• Video file format – MP4 and MOV format with H.264 codec
• Video Length – 3 seconds – 60 seconds.
• Frame rate – Up to 30fps
• Audio codecs – AAC and Vorbis
• Video Resolution – Square: 1080×1080p | Landscape: 1920 x 1080p

16. Leave the Beta Tester Mode

Sometimes you may get rolled in the beta program of Instagram to get early access to the newly added features or changes. It’s recommended to leave the beta tester mode for Instagram which can eventually fix issues with the reels freezing as the application will be converted into the stable version.

For Android:

• Open the Google Play Store app,
• Search for Instagram and open the app page.
• Scroll down a bit until you see You’re a beta tester.
• Just tap on Leave and confirm it to exit the beta testing program.
• Once done, restart the mobile and install the app update.
• You’re good to go.

For iOS:

• If you’re using the Instagram app with beta testing then Install the TestFlight app.
• Exit the enrollment from the Instagram beta program.

17. Reset App Preferences

You might also need to manually reset app preferences on your Android device to clear potential issues with the app settings.

• Open the Settings app > Tap on Applications.
• Next, tap on Apps > Tap on the three-dots icon.
• Select Reset App Preferences.
• It’ll wipe out the app preferences from your device.
• Reboot your phone and open the Instagram app again.

18. Reinstall the Instagram App

If your Instagram app isn’t working well or the reels freezing issue occurs most of the time then uninstall and reinstall the app. Make sure to follow the steps below to do so:

For Android:

• Tap and hold the Instagram icon > Tap on Uninstall.
  • You can also go to App Info and select Uninstall.
• Once done, restart your mobile.
• Go to the Google Play Store app > Search for Instagram.
• Tap on Install.

• Tap on the Install button > Once done, tap on Open.
• Log in with your Instagram account.

For iOS:

• Tap and hold the Instagram icon on your iPhone.
• Select Remove App > Tap on Delete App.
• The system will prompt you to confirm it.
• Tap on the Delete button to uninstall it.
• Open the App Store > Tap on the Search icon.
• Search for Instagram > Tap on the Get or Cloud button.
• Wait for it to install and run the app again.

19. Contact Instagram Support

If none of the workarounds did come in handy then make sure to contact Instagram Support and report it to get better assistance on it. To do that:

• Open the Instagram app > Tap on the profile photo.
• Tap on Settings > Go to Help > Select Report a problem.
• Now, follow the on-screen instructions to report your Instagram reels freezing issue.

That’s it, guys. We hope this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.