How to fix Galaxy S8 Instagram app that keeps stopping [troubleshooting guide]

There’s been a lot of reports from multiple Galaxy S8 owners that their Instagram has suddenly became problematic. What’s happening is that Instagram app appears not to load or open at all. What it does is attempt to open itself but then, shows the Instagram keeps stopping message. We know the problem is not universal as other devices can open Instagram app without any problem at all. Our own Galaxy S8 devices used for reviews can open Instagram app fine. The same is true with our personal S8 devices so the problem may only be impacting a small percentage of users. At this time, we have no idea what causes the bug but the fortunately, Instagram team is already on it and has, in fact, already released an update to fix it. If you happen to have an Instagram problem lately, make sure to follow our suggestions below on how to fix it.

Meanwhile, here are the sample cases that were reported to us:

My Instagram app has stopped working today, with it saying it has stopped working, the usual android way it tells you when an app crashes. I restarted my phone and it did not resolve the problem, so I reinstalled it and I could login. However, after I left the app, I the problem of it crashing came back again and never left. Any suggestions? Thanks. — Josue

I have a Samsung Galaxy S8 and I have recent encountered an issue with instagram. It keeps stopping everytime I go into it to the point where I can’t view instagram. I have restarted the device, uninstalled and reinstalled instagram, installed the recent android update, etc. but nothing works. — Henry Samson

Instagram keeps crashing I restarted and uninstalled/reinstalled the app and have the same issue (after about 5 minutes of working on the re-intall. — Howard.lewin

When I try to open Instagram it automatically stops working and will close. I have uninstalled it and reinstalled it but it still doesn’t open. — Lia Pusateri

The instagram app keeps crashing I have tried all the suggestions recommended for my phone and I don’t know what else to do to fix it. — Taryn

I have been recently having issues with my instagram on my s8. I have searched around and found that I had to clear the cash so I did that, it didn’t work. So I then found I had to clear the cash and the data and force stop it, so i did that as well. And I can login and have it work after I do that but if I close it and try to reopen it crashes again. I also restarted my phone after the step of force stopping it. I found that these fixes did not work so I uninstalled it and then re downloaded it and it had the same effect of the last fix, I could log in once but once I got on if I tried to open it again it would just crash. Not sure if you’ll have a fix but its getting annoying. — Ben

Solutions that you can try if Instagram won’t open or keeps crashing on your Galaxy S8

There’s a number of possible factors that might cause Instagram app to close prematurely, or prevent it from opening even. Because it is possible that each of the cases mentioned above may have different causes, we’ll provide all the relevant solutions that you can try in fixing this problem.

Solution #1: Clear RAM

Some bugs may only run with the current app session so the first thing that you want to do is to

close the app by rebooting the RAM. This is a basic solution that often fixes a lot of minor app bugs. Here’s how to do it:

From any home screen tap the Recent application icon, located in the bottom left corner.
Scroll and select Instagram app.
Swipe left or right or tap the ‘X’ to close selected application.
Alternatively, you can hit CLOSE ALL to quit all running applications.

Solution #2: Force Restart

Restarting the phone is one of the simplest fixes for a lot of app troubles. We understand of you may have already tried it so this is meant for those who failed to do so. Force stopping an Android device clears the memory (RAM) and refreshes the system in general. Some bugs are eliminated when any of these two things occurs so you don’t want to skip this step.

To force restart your S8:

Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for approximately 10 seconds or until the device power cycles. Allow several seconds for the Maintenance Boot Mode screen to appear.
From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Normal Boot. You can use the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the lower left button (below the volume buttons) to select. Wait for up to 90 seconds for the reset to complete.

Solution #3: Refresh the cache partition

Some apps may not behave normally when your phone’s system cache is corrupted or outdated. To check if you have a system cache issue, make sure that you clear the cache partition, where the system cache is stored. Doing so will not erase your personal data so there’s no risk in deleting unsaved files.

To clear the cache partition on your S8:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key to highlight “wipe cache partition.”
Press the Power key to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Solution #4: Clear Instagram app cache

Instagram uses a set of temporary files called cache to work efficiently. Like a corrupted system cache, a bad app cache can negatively impact the performance of an app too. To check if your Instagram app is having cache issue, kindly ensure that you clear its current cache with these steps:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Find and tap Instagram.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear Cache button.
Restart your S8 and check for the problem.

Solution #5: Clear Instagram data

The next logical troubleshooting step should wiping of an app cache fails is clearing the data. Data refers to account- or use-specific information used by an app in order to do its job. For Instagram, data may include account settings, credentials, customizations, and other under-the-hood settings. To clear your Instagram app data:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Find and tap Instagram.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear Data button.
Restart your S8 and check for the problem.

Solution #6: Sign out and sign back in

Some Instagram users said that signing out of their Instagram app and signing back in helped in fixing the problem. To see if this will work, make sure that you also restart the device right after signing out and before you sign back in. Coming from the troubleshooting suggestions above, we don’t think this will be much of a help since you’ve basically done it by deleting your Instagram data already. Still, it’s definitely a worthwhile effort especially since we don’t know where the problem lies.

Solution #7: Install latest Instagram update

For those devices affected by this Instagram problem beginning a few days ago, this solution has the most chance of fixing it. Instagram developer team has acknowledged the fact that some devices keeps showing the “Instagram keeps stopping” error and already released a coding patch for it. If you’re lucky and your particular Instagram problem is due to an inefficient code, this solution will most probably help you fix it.

To check for Instagram update:

Open the Google Play Store app.
Tap More icon at the upper left.
Tap My apps & games.
Tap Update button for Instagram (if it’s available).
Restart your S8 and check for the problem.

Solution #8: Ensure other apps are updated

Just as important as updating your Instagram app is ensuring that the rest of your apps are up-to-date as well. Buggy apps are usually those that are running incompatible or outdated versions. To check if your apps need update, follow these steps:

Open the Google Play Store app.
Tap More icon at the upper left.
Tap My apps & games.
Let your phone check for updates for a few seconds.
Tap Update All button if you want to update multiple apps at once.

Solution #9: Check for Android update

Some app bugs are not entirely caused by an app coding issue but rather by Android problem. To minimize the chance of bugs from developing, you want to ensure that both apps and operating system are all up-to-date. If you’ve already updated all apps but your Instagram continues to stop on its own, make sure that you’ve installed the latest Android update as well.

To do that, you need to go under Settings > Software update.

Solution #10: Wait for update from developer team

As of this writing, Instagram developer team has officially acknowledged that some Android devices may encounter problems with their product and that this has been fixed already. If you continue to have the same problem after installing the latest update, try to re-install the app and see what happens. If Instagram still keeps on stopping, all you can do is wait until it’s fixed. In the meantime, you can try our workarounds below.

First workaround: Use beta version

Some users said that using the best version of the app allowed them to use Instagram without any problems. If you’re interested to try this out, follow this link. Keep in mind that beta versions of apps are less stable compared to their final versions so you may encounter totally different issues when using it.

Second workaround: use mobile website

If your Instagram app still keeps crashing, you also have the option to use your computer’s browser or your phone’s web browser to visit Instagram’s website.