No, you’re not having déjà vu. Instagram’s Stories are actually repeating.
As many Instagram users can attest, there’s nothing quite as satisfying (or mind-numbing) as clearing away the list of unwatched Instagram Stories at the top of the home page. It’s fun to see this friend going to a concert, that friend getting a car wash, this celebrity promoting a new product, and that artist releasing a new music video.
The cycle is never-ending, as new photos and videos are constantly being uploaded, but once all the Stories have been watched, that’s the end of it. At least, that used to be the case. A recent glitch inside the Instagram app has resulted in users re-watching entire Stories when new content is uploaded.
That means you have to watch Suzie’s first seven Stories all over again just to get to her eighth, and when she uploads a ninth, do the same. The frustrating phenomenon has resulted in an understandable case of déjà vu and, as is customary, people have taken to Twitter to see if they’re alone in the matter.
The glitch began on June 13 and has caused a lot of frustration for those whose followers post a lot of Stories.
Even the fast food chain Carl’s Jr. weighed in on the matter, giving us a accurate portrayal of what it looks like when someone uploads a new Story.
Thankfully, the glitch isn’t permanent, so we aren’t doomed to live in a never-ending cycle of watching the same Stories over and over again just to get to a new one. Otherwise, we’d look very much like Bryce Dallas Howard from Black Mirror, pictured in the tweet below.
How to fix the Instagram stories repeating glitch
After two days of repeating content, it looks like Instagram has rolled out an update that addresses the glitch, according to The Verge. Users who are experiencing the frustrating time-loop should head over to the App Store or Google Play store and see if an update is available. If one isn’t, try deleting the app and reinstalling it.
The update brings the app to version 239.1, and while it doesn’t specifically mention the repeating Stories glitch ⏤ simply saying “contains bug fixes and performance improvements” ⏤ it solved the issue for this writer.