Many Instagram users took to Twitter and other social media platforms to vent their frustration with the photo and video-sharing app.
Users were complaining that the app didn’t appear to be working, and had been down for several hours.
People were checking Twitter to reassure themselves they were;t the only ones affected.
One person tweeted: “Is anyone’s Instagram down at the moment to the point where you can’t even open the app without crashing it?”
Another posted: “What happened to my Instagram? #InstagramCrash #InstagramDown” coupled with a sad emoji.
The problem seems to be global, but affecting some phone brands more than others.
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It seemed the problem was mainly affecting Android users, with iPhone users happily gloating about their success.
The main problem seemed to be the app crashing and malfunctioning when users opened it.
Users were trying all the normal tricks, but no fix seemed imminent.
One frustrated person on Reddit wrote: “Today my Instagram stopped the second I got on the app.
“I’ve tried reinstalling Instagram, clearing cache, updating the phone, and checking if the app has any updates.
“Nothing prevents it from crashing. The only way it works is when I log in for the first time after reinstalling, after that, it keeps crashing.”
Despite the app being down for many for hours, reports of malfunctioning are still pouring in on Twitter.
In the last few minutes someone posted a picture of their phone screen, which appeared to be an Android phone.
The screen said “Instagram has stopped”, and gave the option of opening app again or sending feedback.
A map produced by DownDetector shows the problems are being reported from the UK, Russia, Australia, Germany, Belarus, Japan and many other countries.
Instagram has not yet issued any comment on why they are experiencing problems, or when the app will be working again.
On their website, it says there are currently no "known issues to report".
However, they advise to restart the phone or tablet or reinstall your app if you are experiencing problems.
Some users seem to achieve success after deleting and reinstalling, or updating the app.
