Instagram Camera Not Working: Here’s Why & How to Fix It

Instagram has gained huge popularity among users and created a sensation in the world of the internet. There are presently almost more than one million active users on Instagram. 

However, many users reported that their Instagram camera is not working. That’s truly a problem as it makes the app almost unusable. You won’t be able to take photos, recording videos and use any of the in-app tools or filters without a camera permission.

If you are also facing the same Instagram camera not working issue, don’t worry. In this article, we’ll describe why you can’t access the Instagram camera and how to fix it.

camera-not-working-instagram

Why is Your Instagram Camera Not Working?

The Instagram camera is not working because either you turned off the camera permission for Instagram or there are some in-app technical issues. A poor internet connection can also be responsible for that. 

Apart from that, it’s also possible that you recently updated Instagram and there are in-app bugs or glitches in the latest version of the app. 

It seems that the Instagram story camera was missing after the June 2022 update. This bug won’t show any option to open the story camera while uploading a story instead it opens the photo library.

How to Fix “Instagram Camera Not Working”?

1. Enable Camera Access Permission

The first and foremost thing you need to do is to enable camera access permission for Instagram. It will help to fix your problem. So, to enable camera access,

  • Open Settings> Apps> All apps
  • Choose Instagram from the list.
  • Tap on App permissions.
  • Now, enable camera access in the Instagram app.

If you’re an iPhone users, open the Settings app on iPhone> search for Instagram and tap on it. Finally, turn on the Camera and Microphone

2. Check the Internet Connection

Sometimes an unstable internet connection can cause problems like stories keep repeating in Instagram apps. So, check your internet connection and ensure that you have a stable internet speed to fix the camera not working issue.

If your WiFi network is slow switch to mobile data or vice versa. Also, you can restart your router or turn on and off your mobile data to boost internet speed

3. Update Instagram

Updating the Instagram app is another quick way to fix the issue. Sometimes an outdated app causes various problems and doesn’t work properly. Also, updating the Instagram app to its latest version will help to fix all the previous in-app bugs. 

So, if your Instagram camera not working, update your Instagram app to its latest version. If you’re using Android,

  • Open Google Play Store
  • Tap on your profile icon> Manage apps and device> Updates available.
  • Find Instagram and tap on Update

iPhone users, open App Store> search for Instagram and tap on the Update option. 

4. Clear Instagram Cache

Clearing the Instagram app cache works well to fix any problem most of the time. Therefore, try to clear the Instagram cache to solve the Instagram camera not working problem. For that,

  • Navigate to Settings
  • Tap on Apps> All Apps.
  • Find Instagram from the list and tap on it.
  • Tap on Storage> Clear Cache
  • Now, tap on Clear Data and restart your device.
clear-cache-instagram

If you’re using iPhone, Open Settings> Locate Instagram and tap on it> tap on Delete. Once you delete the app, reinstall the Instagram app again from App Store. 

Now, check whether or not your Instagram camera is working. 

5. Install the Old Version of Instagram

Sometimes, the latest version of Instagram contains bugs and glitches, preventing the camera from working. So, try to install the old version of the Instagram app until the launch of the next version after fixing the bugs. 

Unfortunately, iPhone users can’t take advantage of this fix. It will only work for Android users.

6. Reinstall Instagram

Another quick fix to resolve this issue is to reinstall the Instagram app. So, first, uninstall the Instagram app from your device and install it again to fix the Instagram camera is not working issue. 

All you need is to open the Google Play Store or App Store and search for Instagram. Once you find the app tap Uninstall. After that, Install the app again on your phone. 

7. Wait for a while

There may be some in-app technical issues or Instagram’s server is down preventing the Instagram camera from working. A low Instagram server even prevents you from creating a new Instagram account. In that case, you just need to keep patience and wait until the Instagram team resolved the issue from their end. 

8. Reboot your Phone

If nothing works, the final option is to reboot your phone to fix the issue. Probably, there is a problem with your phone preventing the Instagram camera from working properly. So, close the Instagram app and reboot your mobile. 

Once the rebooting process is done, check if the Instagram camera is working.

9. Reset the Device

If nothing works, the final option is to perform a factory reset. Resetting the device will erase all the stored data. Therefore, we suggest you to back up your device before resetting your phone to fix the Instagram camera not working. To perform a factory reset,

  • Go to Settings
  • Tap on System> Reset options.
  • Tap on Factory reset> Erase all data.
  • Now, enter your password and tap Erase all data again to confirm the action.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this guide will help you to fix the Instagram camera not working issue. If you find this article helpful, do share it with others. Also, if you have any suggestions for us, do let us know in the comment box below.