Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms around at the moment with millions of users from all around the world. The platform has come a long way from just being a simple photo-sharing app and now has features rivalling any other platform on the market.
That said, random bugs and glitches do appear from time to time and can hamper the app’s functionality. A common fix for these problems is to clear the Instagram app’s cache and start afresh.
In this article, we’re taking a look at how you can clear Instagram’s cache and what happens when you do so.
Also read: What does the green circle mean on Instagram?
What is the Instagram cache?
Caching is a common practice for social media platforms and search engines to collect your frequently visited posts and searches and serve them to you quickly without having to load everything from the internet always. It speeds up the app usage experience without necessarily forcing Instagram to load every media file, dropping the app’s overall internet usage as well.
Your Instagram cache can hold a number of different things. For example, any profiles you frequently visit, the first few stories that you see when you open the app, any recent reels you watched and your search queries are among a few things that might be stored in the app’s cache.
Also read: iBuypower vs Cyberpower: 4 talking points
Why clear the cache?
If the cache makes the overall app experience better, why should you clear it in the first place? There are two main reasons why you would like to clear your Instagram cache from time to time.
Bugs and glitches with the Instagram app
The major reason why you would sometimes be forced to clear the app’s cache is to get rid of bugs that might prevent you from using the app altogether. Sometimes the app may retain a batch of old and corrupt files that might lead to issues like your feed not refreshing or the app not being able to sign in or load your photos. Clearing your cache in such cases is one of the most common fixes.
Managing storage space
As you use the app, the cache also increases in size over time. If you’re a heavy user, there’s a chance that you might have an Instagram cache that’s several gigabytes in size. If you’re strapped for storage on your phone, clearing Instagram’s (or any other app’s) cache can help free up quite a lot of storage space.
Also read: How to fix Automation error 440?
Clearing the Instagram cache
There are different ways of clearing the app’s cache based on what operating system you’re using.
On Android
Android users can clear Instagram’s cache by heading into their phone settings and following the steps given below.
- Tap on Apps and notifications.
- Tap on Show all apps and find Instagram from the list. If you’ve recently used Instagram, it’ll show up in the recent apps as well.
- Tap on Instagram.
- Then tap on Storage & cache.
- Then tap on the Clear Cache button.
On iOS
There’s no way to clear an app’s cache on iOS without deleting the app and installing it again. So the best way of clearing the Instagram cache on iOS is to just do a simple reinstall.
Also read: Instagram reels stuck on processing: 6 Fixes
