Are you having issues with your Instagram app because you see your Instagram reels not showing or working? Then look out for the best guidelines to curb this issue. Just read more!

Instagram Reels is one of the most interesting features of this most-used social media platform. Millions of users of Instagram users do not spare using the Instagram Reels feature because they have been able to post countless videos aside from the normal Instagram feed.

However, since the creation of the Instagram reels, it has undergone several upgrades which have contributed to a number of issues that the Instagram reels users complain of.

For that matter, the Instagram reels are not in their best state working as it was initially. It is prone to some faults such as the Instagram reels not showing.

How to Fix Instagram Reels not Showing or Working

Instagram reel users can make short video clips with the addition of music and other creative features. The Instagram reel users have reported the fact that the Instagram reels do not work correctly as expected or they do not show.

Several questions that users have asked concerning the malfunctions of the Instagram app include:

  • Why are my Instagram reels not showing audio?
  • Why are my Instagram reels not showing captions?
  • Why are my Instagram reels not showing the view count?
  • Why is my Instagram reel save audio not working?
  • Why is my Instagram sound not working?

Why Can’t I See My Instagram Reels?

As a user of the Instagram reel feature if you are asking questions like the above-listed questions, then it is very important to note that most of these Instagram reel issues are self-inflicted.

Therefore if you see your Instagram reels sound not working or Instagram reels not showing hashtags, then you should first verify if it is your fault or not.

Whilst some users have made reports about their Instagram reels not showing music, others have also made complaints about their Instagram reels not showing Hindi songs as well as their IG reels’ audio not working.

Below are listed reasons for the issue you are facing with your Instagram reels not showing:

  1. Instagram system down
  2. Instagram app cache and data
  3. Blocked by one who posted the reels
  4. Suspension by Instagram
  5. Sending a message to someone you do not follow

How to Fix Instagram Stories not Uploading or Loading

1. Check Internet Connectivity

This troubleshooting is one of the quickest ways to deal with such issues with the Instagram app. As soon as you cannot view the Instagram reels anymore, then you should know that it may be the cause of a low internet connection to load the Instagram stories. You have to check and make sure that you have enough internet connection to access the Instagram app.

When you lack a strong internet connection, it gives you very little or no chance to access the app, hence giving you problems like Instagram reels audio not playing. To remedy this, you should not hesitate to check the strength of your internet connection and this can easily be done by using fast.com to check how fast or slow your internet connection is.

When you are done checking the strength of your internet connection and you realize you are having a speed of your network ranging below 3Mbps, then you should find your internet connection very worrying.

Therefore it is advised that you geta better data location then you can try again to see if you still have your Instagram reels not showing.

2. Turn On and Off Your Airplane Mode

After using the first troubleshooting option by checking the strength of your internet connection and you realize it is low but you have a good data allocation, then you can also better the internet connection by turning on and off the Airplane mode.

Turning on and off the Airplane mode is one of the best ways to check the internet connection and network problems with your mobile phone.

A lot of users of the internet who complained of network issues have tried this method and have brought very positive responses. Be sure to have your slow network checked if you try this step of troubleshooting With this, the network will go off automatically and it will come back probably stronger than before.

Try this by following the steps given below:

  1. Launch the Settings app on your phone. Scroll through and find Connections.
WhatsApp Status not uploading couldn't send - turn on and off aeroplane mode

2. After selecting Connections, tap on Flight mode and turn it off if it was mistakenly turned on. If it is off already, turn it on, wait for about a minute and turn it on again,

3. Try to view an Instagram reel.

3. Relaunch the Instagram App

One of the quick and simple ways to deal with such issues concerning Instagram reels not showing or working is by quitting the app abruptly and relaunching it. To do this, you must leave the Instagram app and clear all running apps in the background.

If you are using the browser to access the Instagram app, then you should clear the Instagram web tab and open it on a new tab.

After quitting the Instagram app, relaunch the app and check if you still cannot play or save Instagram reels audio.

Instagram stories not uploading or loading

5. Launch Instagram with the Instagram Web

After relaunching the Instagram app to solve the issue and you still see Instagram reels with no sound on the story, then it may also be a problem with the Instagram application on your android or iOS device so you should consider launching Instagram with the use of the Instagram web on your browser.

By doing this, use the processes recommended as follows:

  1. Launch the browser on your phone or personal computer.
  2. Use the address bar to get to instagram.com and launch it.

3. After launching Instagram via the Instagram web, open Instagram on your phone

4. log in to your Instagram account using the Instagram web.

6. Now check if you still have the issue of Instagram rees use audio not working or Instagram reels not showing.

5. Check your Instagram Account Status

Instagram does not allow users to watch reels if their account has breached Instagram community guidelines. Instagram has community guidelines that you should try as much as possible to avoid as a user just so you don’t breach the set guidelines.

If you have breached some of the Instagram community guidelines, then you are going to be suspended from using the app or permanent removal from your Instagram account. For that matter, you should check and know if your Instagram account has currently been banned or not.

This is how to check whether your Instagram account has been suspended or removed. If your account has been disabled by Instagram, you will see a message informing you that your account has been disabled when you try to log in to the app.  If the account has not been disabled but suspended too, you will be notified.

6. Check if the Instagram System is Down

Sometimes the fault of these Instagram stories not uploading or not loading in the archive may not be your fault. This is because there are sometimes general glitches that happen in the systems of Instagram, causing all users to get stuck accessing the app.

This may happen when you are trying to log in to the app, upload a feed, upload Instagram stories, or load Instagram stories. It happens once in a while but if you are unfortunate and it happens, you may not be too sure if it’s actually just you or a general problem.

For that matter, you should not hesitate to check using Down Detector to check if the system is actually down or not. Search for “Instagram” and check if they serve you with Instagram outage reports in your area.

can't login to Instagram - check if Instagram is down

Aside from this, you can also check Twitter or Facebook to find out if there has been an official communique from Instagram about their app malfunctions.

7. Try Using a VPN to Access Instagram

After checking the status of the Instagram server and it is truly the fault of Instagram that you have an Instagram reels problem, then you should find a temporal VPN and use it. Actually, the conditions of the temporal malfunction of the Instagram server may not be the entire world but just your region

Because of that, you should find a VPN to use, which will allow you to change your device’s IP address and use a new one, as though you are accessing the Instagram app in a different region. When you do that, you can simply watch the Instagram reels now.

Make sure you cross-check the least affected regions concerning the malfunction of Instagram so that you use your VPN to connect to a different server.

One other very important reason for having the VPN is also to be able to see reels that are not yet available in your country. Some Instagram reels are only available in some regions or countries but not across the world.

As of 2020, the Instagram reels feature was only available in 50 countries so you probably have to wait to have the Instagram reels reach your country. If not, then you should consider watching the reels using the VPN.

To have a VPN that preferably works with the Whatsapp app, try NordVPN to access the app and successfully see your Instagram reels showing up in hashtags.

8. Logout Instagram and Sign in Again

After checking to see if the fault is from Instagram and you realize it is rather self-inflicted, you should consider logging out of Instagram and signing in again. To do this, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to your Instagram profile.
  2. Tap on the three horizontal lines at the top right of your profile
  3. Search and tap on settings
  4. Scroll down to tap on log out of account
  5. After you’ve been successfully logged out, insert the correct password and username to log in to Instagram.
  6. Check out if you can now upload videos or load Instagram stories.

9. Find Reels in Different Sections of Instagram

Instagram reels do not appear in just one place. There are several places where Instagram reels can be seen. You can be able to identify different types of Instagram reels by doing a review of the sections below:

  1. Locate the Reels tab: The Reels tab can be seen at the bottom center of the Instagram app. At this place, you can see reels from people from all walks of life.

You can find the play button in the middle of the square icon. When people upload their reels using the reels tab, it is very simple to find their reels using the Reels tab.

2. Locate Reels on Profiles: Instagram reels can also be found on people’s profiles. You can search for someone’s reels when you go to the person’s profile. If the reels have been enabled by their account then it is possible to find their reels there.

With this, it is very easy to view reels of people in their profile when you open their whole gallery of reel videos from all locations in their profile section. If your issue is that you can’t view Instagram reels on your profile, then you should try the remaining options.

3. Locate Reels in the ‘New Post’ section: Reels can also be found when you open the Instagram app and you tap on the ‘plus’ sign in the upper left-hand corner. After tapping on the ‘plus’ sign, you should see the ‘New Post’ screen where you will see the ‘Reels’ tab located at the bottom of the page if your account has enabled reels.

4. Locate Reels at the ‘Instagram Explore’ screen: You can find Instagram reels too at the Instagram Explore screen. Most publicly posted pictures and videos appear on the Instagram Explore screen. To do this, just tap or click on the search button towards the button and the reels will appear.

10. Login to Instagram Beta

After trying all the options above and if you still cannot curb the issue of Instagram reels not working, then you should consider installing the Beta version of Instagram. This can help definitely if you cannot view the Instagram reels using the Instagram app itself.

When you log in to the Instagram Beta version, it is very possible that you will have your reels updated and they can be seen on it since you cannot find the reels on the original Instagram app. Currently, you can only download the Instagram Beta version on android. To do this, follow the steps below:

  1. Launch the Playstore app on your android.
  2. Search for the Instagram app
  3. In Playstore, scroll down the page of Instagram
  4. Locate the “Join the beta’ section and tap on “Join” within the pop-up dialog box.
  5. Google will now enroll you in Instagram’s beta program.
  6. Wait a few minutes for your Instagram to be updated to the Beta version.
  7. You can now update the latest Instagram Beta by tapping on ‘Update’ in the Playstore app.
  8. Now launch the Instagram app and check if you still have the issue of your Instagram reels not working.

11. Clear Instagram App Cache and Data

Many a time these issues we face such as the Instagram reels not showing is as a result of glitches caused by the app cache or data on the device. It may also be a result of browser cookies and data. Below is how to clear the Instagram app cache.

  1. Close the Instagram app on your phone
  2. Long press the app till a sub-window shows and tap on the app info
  3. Scroll down to look for storage and tap on it
  4. Go down to tap on clear cache to clear the Instagram app cache
  5. Go back to relaunch the app to check whether the issue has been resolved.

If you are using the browser to access your Instagram account, you should try clearing cookies on the browser. To do this, follow the steps given below:

  1. Launch the browser (Either Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge)
  2. Tap on the three horizontal dots located at the top corner.
  3. Click on settings.
  4. Click on Privacy & Security and select clear browsing data.
  5. Tick the boxes next to Cookies and other site data as well as cached images and files.
  6. Click on clear data.
  7. All the cache and cookies will be cleared and you can access Instagram on the browser again.

12. Clear Browsing History or Data on Browser

After you have tried to clear the cache on the Instagram web and it is still to no avail, then you should try clearing browsing data or browser history. To do this, go by the steps given below:

  1. Launch the browser (Google Chrome or Microsoft edge)
  2. Tap on the three horizontal dots located at the top corner
  3. Go to settings.
  4. Click on Privacy & Security and select clear browsing data.
  5. Tick the box next to browsing history.
  6. Click on clear data.

Using the Safari OS to do this, follow the steps below:

  1. Select Safari on the menu bar.
  2. Select the option, “ Clear History
  3. This will wipe off all browsing history from the Safari OS.

13. Update the Instagram App or Reinstall the Instagram App

If you are still facing issues with the Instagram reels not working even after clearing the Instagram app cache and data or clearing browser cookies and browser history, then you should update the app.

This is because you might be using an outdated version of Instagram that does not permit you to use the app effectively and for that matter, you should update it as soon as possible so that you can log in to the app without facing issues like Instagram reels not playing audio on iPhone.

Below are the steps you can use to update your Instagram app:

  1. Close all apps running in the background including the Instagram app.
  2. Go to the Google Play store or app store on your device
  3. Search for Instagram in the search bar
  4. Tap on Update to update the app.
  5. Check to see if the app has been updated successfully and relaunch the app.
  6. After launching the app, check if you still face the issue.
Update the instagram app
Update the Instagram app

After updating the app and you still encounter the issue, then you should uninstall the app and reinstall it. This can be done using the steps below:

  1. Clos the Instagram app on your phone
  2. Long press the app till a sub-window shows and tap on uninstall.
  3. After successfully uninstalling the app, go to Playstore (for android users) or App store (for iOS users)
  4. Search for the Instagram app in the search bar.
  5. Tap on the install section to download the latest version of Instagram on either Playstore or App store.
  6. Launch the app, and check if you still face the issue of Instagram reels not showing.

14. Login to Instagram on a Different Device or Browser

Most of the time we find out that the device or browser we use to access the internet may be problematic, hence leading to problems such as Instagram reels not showing up in hashtags.

Due to that, it is advised that you log out of the Instagram app on your phone if possible, and log in to another device or another browser. When using a browser to access the social media platform, it is advised that you use browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge or Safari browser.

We are assured that it is highly possible that your Instagram account will work now perfectly on another device or browser as a result of the different situations your device may find itself in.

15. Contact Instagram Support Centre

All of the above options on how to fix Instagram reels not showing or working to curb the issue and therefore if you still find it very difficult to deal with the challenge of Instagram reels audio not playing on iOS, even after going through all the processes highlighted above, then you should not hesitate to contact the Instagram Support Center.

They aid you to remedy the issue in the best way, answering questions like “Why are my Instagram reels delaying?” or “Why am I seeing my Instagram reels audion not playing?”.

Eventually, we advise that you visit their site to seek help from them will be the best and the farthest you can go to curb the issue.  You can do this by contacting them on the app, using the steps below:

  1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap on the three horizontal lines at the top right of your profile.
Instagram Profile

2. Scroll through the options and select Settings.

3. Scroll through the settings options and tap on Help.

4. Scroll through the Help options and Report a problem.

5. After choosing Report a problem, type your problem of either Instagram reels not showing, Instagram reels audio not playing, or Instagram reels not working at all.

Conclusion (Instagram Reels not Working or Showing up)

This article dubbed, “How to fix Instagram reels not showing or working” gives you the highest possible guidelines that you should not hesitate to check out any day to find a better solution or options on how to fix Instagram reels not showing, and knowing the reasons that caused you to trouble over the issue.

As highlighted in the article already, it may mostly be a result of your internet connectivity, lack of VPN, and the Instagram system being down among others.

Look for a detailed highlight on how to fix Instagram reels no sound in the article anytime you encounter such an issue.

You may check out these troubleshoots on Instagram too:

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