In 2018, Instagram added the music feature to its stories. Since then, this feature has improved, but it still lacks behind in some areas. Recently, some users have reported a problem with Instagram music search, and they cannot find their favorite songs.
There are many factors that may lead to this issue. Sometimes the app updates are buggy, and sometimes the data servers are not working well.
Fortunately, there are relatively easy fixes for this issue which we will discuss in this article.
Why Is My Instagram Music Search Not Working?
There are several reasons why your Instagram music search is not working. The most common causes are:
- Running the older version of Instagram
- Using business account
- Service outage
- Incorrect song name
- Uncleared storage and cache
- Your current location
As you can see, there are a bunch of different factors that cause this problem. So how can we fix this? Well, keep on reading.
Solutions for Instagram Music Search Not Working
Just as there are a lot of causes, there are several solutions as well. We will take a look at the most viable and the most used solutions.
Re-open Your Instagram App
This is the most used and the most suggested solution for the problem. Simply re-opening the Instagram app should also work but stopping the Instagram app completely from the settings is a better option. To re-open your Instagram, follow these steps:
For Andriod
- Close your Instagram.
- Go to settings.
- Go to apps.
- Scroll down and find Instagram.
- Select Instagram.
- Select the Force stop option.
For iOS
- Close your Instagram.
- Press and hold the empty part of the home screen.
- The little minus signs should appear in the top-left corner of the app icons.
- Find Instagram and press its ‘minus’ logo on the top.
- Open your Instagram.
Clear the Cache and Storage Data
Sometimes, a massive cache build-up can cause the app not to function properly as the caches take up a considerable chunk of already limited memory. So, you should first try to clear the cache and re-open Instagram. To clear your Instagram cache, follow these steps:
For Android only
- Go to settings.
- Go to Apps.
- Scroll down and find Instagram.
- Select Instagram.
- Select the Clear cache option.
This should work for most of the users but in case it does not, you will have to delete your storage or app data too. It is basically like resetting a device. Deleting app data will remove all of your settings and login credentials; So, proceed with caution.
- Go to Settings.
- Go to Apps.
- Scroll down and find Instagram.
- Select Instagram.
- Select the Clear Data or Clear Data/storage option.
Log Out of Your Account
Sometimes logging out of your account and logging back in can also fix this issue of Instagram music search not working. To log out of your account, follow these steps:
For both Android and iOS
- Open the Instagram app.
- Tap on your Profile’s icon on the bottom-right of the screen.
- Tap on the three lines on the top-right of your screen.
- Go to Settings.
- Scroll down till the end.
- Tap on the Log-out option.
- Tick in the ‘Remember my login info’ feature.
- Tap on Log out.
After you have been logged out, re-login again. Since you ticked the ‘Remember my login info’ feature, your log-in credentials should be auto-filled.
Update Your Instagram App
Whenever there’s an update available, the older versions tend to lose their usability. It does not mean that the older versions become completely useless, but they are more buggy, develop more problems, and are not the main priority anymore. Updating the Instagram app can help you avoid and fix these issues including, the ‘Instagram music search not working.’ To update your Instagram, follow these steps:
For Andriod
- Go to the Google Play Store.
- Type in Instagram on the search bar at the top and hit Search icon.
- Select Instagram from the search results.
- Select the Update option if available.
For iOS
- Go to the App store.
- Type in Instagram on the search bar at the bottom left of the screen.
- Select Instagram from the search results.
- Select the Update option if available.
Restart Your Phone
If none of the above-mentioned solutions work, it’s time to restart your device. It does not matter if you are on a PC or your mobile device, it is recommended to restart your device. As much as it is over-suggested, it is often a viable solution. So to restart your phone, follow these steps:
- Press the power button for a while until your phone displays the turn-off options.
- Tap or hold the restart option.
After the phone boots up, check if the problem still persists. In case it does, go through the next method.
Try Switching Your Account Type
This might not make sense like the rest of the solutions in this article, however, this has proven to work a number of times. So without further ado, follow these steps to switch your account type:
- Open the Instagram app.
- Tap on your Profile’s icon on the bottom-right of the screen.
- Tap on the three lines on the top-right of your screen.
- Go to Settings.
- Go to Account.
- Scroll down and tap on the ‘Switch to Professional account’ feature.
- Switch to any of the options you want.
After successfully switching, check if your Instagram’s music feature is working.
Using VPN to Access Instagram’s Music Feature
Instagram’s music feature is not available in every country. Third-world countries still have not been provided with this feature even in 2022. If you are currently visiting a third-world country and wondering why your Instagram music is not working, it’s because Instagram has not enabled this feature in that certain country.
To solve this issue, you can use a VPN to connect to the network of a country that has the Instagram music feature. To connect to Instagram using a VPN, follow these steps:
- Search ‘VPN’ on your app store or play store.
- Install the one you think is the best.
- After installation is complete, open the VPN app and connect to one of the option available.
Make sure that the country’s server you are connecting to has the Instagram music feature. - After the connection has been established, open your Instagram app.
Check to see if the problem still persists. If it does, try re-opening and or clearing out the cache.
Pick Another Song
In some cases, the artists remove their song from the platform but Instagram still keeps it on their database, not the actual song but the title only. There are a billion users so adding every song that each user enjoys is almost impossible. So, if you are searching for a song that is not quite popular or from an underground band, it’s most likely that you will not be able to find it.
There is no fault in your phone in such cases.
FAQs
Can You Add an Instagram Story From Your Computer?
Users can create and edit posts, but the Instagram story feature is not available on PC yet. Also, you can not start a live session from your PC. These features are limited to mobile devices only.