Why Can’t I Go Live on Instagram? Solutions and Solutions

Instagram Live is a great feature that can bring your people into the now. Instagram Live is here for others, including businesses, influencers, or personal brands concerned with the now. Too often, we get the infuriating feature of being unable to go live on Instagram.

If it’s happening to you, take a deep breath and worry no more—it’s not you. The problem can happen for many reasons, from technical to account restrictions.

Fortunately, it is usually an easy fix. In this article, we will explore why you can’t go live on Instagram and give step-by-step solutions to the problem.

Most Common Reasons Why You Can’t Go Live on Instagram

The most common reasons are as followed:

1. Weak or Unstable Internet Connection

The most common reason you cannot go live on Instagram is your weak or unstable internet connection. In order to go live on Instagram Live, you will require an awesome and stable internet connection, Wi-Fi, or an awesome mobile data network.

If your internet isn’t awesome or keeps changing, Instagram might not allow you to go live using a video to provide an awesome user experience.

To test if the problem is with your internet, you can test your internet speed online, such as Speedtest by Ookla or Fast.com.

Test the speed by running a test and seeing if your upload is below 5 Mbps. Try doing work on Instagram Live later. See if it works or not by testing Wi-Fi and data.

If you’re on Wi-Fi, closing apps, getting closer to your router, or restarting your router would provide you with a better connection. If all these don’t work, reach out to your internet provider.

2. The Instagram App is Not Updated

Having the old app version on your phone offers several functionality problems, including Instagram Live issues. Instagram gets updated periodically with the latest patches and bug fixes.

Your app will not get updated for new features, and you will acquire an error when you are close to going live if it is not updated.

To fix this problem, go to your phone’s app store (Android Google Play Store and iOS Apple App Store) and check if an update is available.

Download the update, if there is any, and then attempt to go live again. If, even after updating, it does not work, you may have to reinstall the app.

Uninstall Instagram, reboot your phone and reinstall the app to install it fresh. This will eliminate any corrupted files or bugs that might freeze Instagram Live.

3. Your Account is Restricted or Banned

Instagram also has very strict community guidelines, and if your account is repeatedly violating any of them, you won’t be able to utilize some of their services anymore, such as Instagram Live.

Such bad behavior could be sharing something users have tagged as inappropriate, spamming, or reporting a user.

Your live stream functionality can be suspended for a short period, or you may even be blocked permanently by Instagram basing on such bad behavior.

You can confirm if your account is suspended by checking for a notification on Instagram through the app. If you see a message that says you are suspended from live streaming, you should appeal the suspension.

You can appeal by going to Settings > Help > Report a Problem and requesting an appeal. Meanwhile, avoid any activity that further breaks Instagram’s community guidelines, as repeating such actions will result in a lifetime ban.

4. You’re in a Restricted Region

Some countries or geographies limit Instagram Live either because of government or platform-level restrictions.

Some countries have also restricted live streaming services within their internet censorship policy, hindering access to Instagram Live completely.  

If you feel delimitations are the cause, you can look for Instagram’s help center or support sites and find out if Instagram Live is live in your region.

A possible solution that might be helpful is trying to access Instagram Live through a Virtual Private Network (VPN). But do take care since using the VPN would be against Instagram’s terms of use, and even worse, there is an equal chance that your account will get suspended or flagged.

5. Your Microphone and Camera Permissions Are Off

Your microphone and camera should stay on so Instagram can use them for live streaming. You can’t livestream if they’re turned off on your phone.

To turn them on, do the following:

• iOS Users: Settings > Instagram > Camera & Microphone and flip both to ON.
• Android Users: Go to Settings > Apps > Instagram > Permissions and turn Camera and Microphone ON. Once you’ve turned on the permissions, shut down the app, restart it, and try going live once more. If the permissions had been turned off, and this would’ve prevented it from doing so, it would be functioning right away when you restart it.

6. Instagram Live is Currently Not Available

There will be no Instagram Live currently due to server issues or maintenance. Even if Instagram is unavailable, one cannot go live until the Instagram server resolves the issue.

You can try to see whether Instagram is down by looking at pages like Downdetector or checking out Instagram’s social media handles for a report. If the website isn’t coming up, there’s nothing to do but wait for it to be fixed.

7. You’re Trying to Go Live from a Restricted Business Account

There are business accounts that possess category or content restrictions. There are business categories, such as sensitive business categories, which may be omitted from Instagram Live coverage under the content policy.

If you believe your business account is getting banned, try going live off a personal account and test you can. If you can go live off a personal account but cannot off a business account, contact Instagram support and request information on bans or restrictions.

8. Device-Related Issues

If your phone has some glitches or not enough space, it might make Instagram Live slower. Outdated apps, insufficient storage space, or technical issues might render the feature unusable. Restart your phone and clear the Instagram cache to fix this issue.

Go to Settings > Apps > Instagram > Storage > Clear Cache for Android. For an iPhone, you just need to uninstall and reinstall the app to eliminate bugs. You might also need to update your phone operating system by checking system updates on your phone settings.

Advanced Fixes

Here is how you should fix the problem of why can’t I go live on Instagram:

1. Log Out and Log Back In

Log out and log back in on your Instagram account to repair occasional bugs that won’t permit you to go live. How to do it:

1. Open Instagram and navigate to your profile.
2. Tap Menu (☰) > Settings and Privacy.
3. Scroll down and tap Log Out.
4. Log in and try to go live once more.

2. Reinstall Instagram

Reinstalling Instagram will repair long-standing bugs.

Steps: 

1. Remove Instagram from your phone.
2. Shut down your phone.
3. Reinstall Instagram from your app store again.
4. Sign in and attempt to use the Live feature.

3. Report the Problem to Instagram

If those don’t work for you, you might be asked to report the problem to Instagram support.

Steps: 

1. Touch your profile > Menu (☰) > Settings and Privacy.
2. Tap Help > Report a Problem.
3. Describe your problem and file your report.

Goin’ Live!

It is frustrating that you cannot livestream on Instagram. Still, sometimes it is something you can resolve by being online, closing the app and re-launching it, checking permissions, or eliminating account limits.

You should be able to resolve the issue and live stream without a hitch by doing as indicated in this article. If the issues do not disappear, then it will be appropriate to ask for Instagram support.

Now that you know why you can’t live-stream on Instagram, you can do whatever you need to rectify the situation and live-stream without a hitch!

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