While using Instagram, you may have encountered the ‘try again later’ prompt several times. These error messages may pop up when you unfollow or follow a lot of Instagram users relatively within a short span of time. They also pop up when you like many posts within a short amount of time.
But sometimes, the ‘try again later’ error pops up on Instagram without you doing anything suspicious. This may happen if some of the users have reported your account. So, how can you fix this error message on Instagram? Let’s discuss, shall we?
Ways to Fix “Try Again Later” on Instagram
There are a bunch of ways you can fix this issue, there are some easy ways and some extreme ones which require a bit of time.
Restart Your Instagram
This is the most suggested solution to the most tech issues. The reason why this is the most suggested is that it’s a fairly easy task and it resolves the problem most of the time. To restart 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.
- Open your Instagram.
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.
Re-login Your Account
In order to re-login your account, follow these steps.
For both Android and iOS
- Open the Instagram app.
- Tap on your Profile 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.
- Re-login after you have logged out of your account.
Clear the Cache
Clearing cache allows the device to work with more free space thereby resulting in a bug-free user experience. Cache for Instagram can build up to a couple of gigabytes which is detrimental to the memory and the storage as well. Clearing cache may solve your ‘try again later’ error all the while boosting Instagram’s performance. To clear your Instagram cache, follow these steps.
For Android only
- Go to Settings.
- Go to Apps.
- Scroll down and find Instagram.
- Select Instagram.
- Tap on the Cache and storage option.
- Select the Clear cache option.
If this does not solve the problem, you can also try clearing the storage or the overall Instagram data from your phone.
Clear the Storage
Before you proceed, we would like to clarify that clearing your storage will delete all your app data, including your login credentials. So if you do not know your login credentials, proceed at your own risk.
Clearing the storage will reset your Instagram. It will set your Instagram to default, it will be just like the first time you installed Instagram on your phone. To clear your storage, follow these steps.
- Go to Settings.
- Go to Apps.
- Scroll down and find Instagram.
- Select Instagram.
- Select the Clear app data or Clear data option.
Restart Your Device
Sometimes restarting your device solves a bunch of problems. Letting your device get a much-needed refresh can do a lot. To restart your device, follow these steps.
- Press the power button for a while until your phone displays the turn-off options.
- Tap or hold the restart option.
You will need to wait for a minute or two before your phone boots up. Then, try to see if the problem still persists. If it does, try this next solution.
Stay Away From Auto-liking and Bot Follower Apps
Instagram does not entertain users using bot accounts to increase their follower count. There are plenty of apps online that are developed to increase your follower count, and the number of likes you receive, all with the help of bot users or fake accounts. While this seems like an effortless way to increase your Instagram following, this is one of the main reasons for the ‘try again later’ prompt.
These apps take control over your account and hit likes on other users’ posts. Moreover, they also follow other users’ accounts. Since this is all done by bots, they do it in the least amount of time required. Since hitting like on a bunch of random posts in a short amount of time seems like a “machine-like” thing to do, Instagram sends you a “try again later” prompt to stop the action momentarily. This raises Instagram’s suspicion over your account.
After your account is under the radar of Instagram, you will frequently receive the “try again later” prompt, in order to discourage the use of auto-liking apps.
Try Removing the Link From Your Bio
Instagram allows you to put up a link to your website on your bio, while this seems like a good idea to promote your business for free, this may also cause an issue. If Instagram decides that the website you linked to is suspicious, they may send you the try again later prompt. This is done to discourage the promotion of shady and malicious websites. In order to remove your link from your bio, follow these steps.
For Mobile Devices
- Open your Instagram.
- Tap on your Profile icon on the bottom-right of the screen.
- Tap on the Edit profile option.
- Clear the link that has been put under the Website tab.
- Tap on the Correct icon on the top-right of the screen.
For PC Users
- Go to Instagram.com.
- Make sure you are logged in or log in to your account.
- Click on the Profile icon on the top right of the page.
- Click on Profile from the drop-down menu.
- Go to the Edit profile option.
- Clear the link under the Website tab.
- Scroll down and click on Submit.
Authenticate Your Account by Linking Your Facebook Account
If you are using your Instagram without linking your Facebook, Instagram does not think that your account is fully legit in some cases. If your actions on Instagram do not seem ideal to Instagram, they assume that your account is run by a bot instead of a real human.
Therefore, to avoid the spread of bot users, Instagram tries to discourage the use of bot accounts by sending different timeout errors and the “try again later” error. Linking your Facebook will help prove that your account is not a bot account that can affect the user experience of other users.
If all the aforementioned solutions fail to work, you can try this next solution as a last resort.
Report to Instagram About the Issue
The reason why this solution is placed last on the list is that most of the time this does not work. But that does not mean that you should not try it. To report to Instagram about the issue, follow these steps.
For Mobile Devices only
- Open Instagram.
- Tap on your Profile icon on the bottom-right of the screen.
- Tap on the three lines on the top-right of your screen.
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap on the Help option.
- Tap on the Report a problem option.
- Tap on the Report a problem option again.
- Choose a screenshot and explain what the problem is.
- Hit the Submit button.