An error message appeared when Instagram users automatically logged out of the app try to log back in on July 15, 2015. (Photo: PIX11 News)
Instagram was down for many users Thursday afternoon, failing to update feeds or automatically logging them out altogether.
The issue appears to have begun shortly after 1 p.m., according to Downdetector, an online tool that pulls data from users reporting problems with digital services. At that time, the number of users reporting a problem with the photo-sharing app spiked steeply to more than 1,000.
It was not immediately known why the app was experiencing problems or when they would be resolved.
This error message appears after users try to log back in after the app kicks them out: “Sorry, we couldn’t connect to our login server. Please confirm you have an internet connection and try again in a moment.”
We're currently experiencing an issue that may have caused some users to have trouble logging in. We’re working hard to fix it.
— Instagram (@instagram) July 16, 2015
Through its verified Twitter account, Instagram said it is working on the problem.
“We’re currently experiencing an issue that may have caused some users to have trouble logging in. We’re working hard to fix it,” the company said.
Still, the bizarre bug that forced many users out of their feed had some worrying their privacy had been compromised.
I thought I'd been hacked because Instagram keeps logging me out of my own account then I realised no one would actually want to hack me
— Karla Ángeles (@kmalcoy) July 16, 2015
https://twitter.com/BIGTAY2X_/status/621732284618518528
Relieved to know I'm not the only one whos Instagram is down.. #Instagram
— Aakash Thaker (@SkyThaker) July 16, 2015
Instagram down. pic.twitter.com/gkwHKc7gpg
— Complex (@ComplexMag) July 16, 2015
Others called for perspective and a look on the brighter side: maybe now is a good time to put the phone down for awhile.
