Sound Not Working in Instagram – What to Do

Instagram is an excellent platform for posting video content. However, users occasionally run into an issue where their sound isn’t working on Instagram, even if you tried the volume keys, tapping the crossed-out speaker, and opening the video. This situation can be frustrating as it prevents you from enjoying the content on your Instagram feed.

Fortunately, this is a pretty easy issue to fix in most cases. If you’re having problems with the Instagram sound is not working, let’s take a look at the steps you can take to fix it.

Keep in mind that specific videos or stories don’t include any sound. In this case, you’ll see the “Video Has No Sound” marker at the bottom left.

How to Fix the Sound Not Working in Instagram

1. Check Bluetooth Headphones/Earbuds to Ensure They Work

Not getting any sound on Instagram might be related to your Bluetooth headphones or earbuds, even if you are not wearing them. For example, if Apple AirPods have “Automatic Ear Detection” turned off, the sound will go to the earbuds whether they are in your ear or not and as long as they are paired with your iPhone.

A similar problem occurs with many wireless speakers. The speaker’s volume is turned down, you forget to unpair it from your smartphone, or the sound is going to another device.

Here’s how to fix this:

1. Go to the Bluetooth menu of your smartphone, check for paired speakers/headphones, and tap on a device to disconnect it.

2. Restart the Device

Simply rebooting your device can often reload any processes that weren’t running correctly. This action may fix your audio issues.

To determine if this is the case, restart your smartphone to eliminate the bugs and junk files that might prevent sound from playing.

For iPhone X and later: hold one of the volume rockers and the Side button simultaneously until you see the Power slider. Move the slider to power off the phone, then press and hold the Side button and release it when the Apple logo appears.

For older iPhones (iPhone 8 and earlier): hold the Side/Top button to bring up the Power slider. After turning off the smartphone, press the Side/Top button again to power it back on.

For Android: Press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the power options appear, then tap on reboot or restart. If you’re using a newer Android phone, you may need to hold the volume button and power button to restart.

3. Update Instagram

Instagram frequently releases updates and bug fixes that address various in-app problems. In the past, many users reported issues with playing music on stories or playing sound altogether. This situation is why you need to check if there’s an update.

1. Launch the App Store or Play Store, navigate to Updates or My Apps & Games, and swipe the list to find Instagram.
2. Hit the Update button next to the app, and Instagram will confirm that the latest version is installed.

4. Update iOS/Android OS

If your phone’s Operating System (OS) software isn’t up to date, you may run into problems when using various apps, including Instagram. Here is a quick guide for software updates on iOS/Android.

For iOS:

1. Launch Settings, tap on General, and select Software Update.
2. Tap on Download and install and wait for a few minutes for the iPhone to work its magic. You might be prompted to confirm that you want to install the software. In this case, tap on Install or OK in the pop-up window.

For Android:

1. Hit the gear icon to access Settings, go into the System menu, and select About phone.

If you use Samsung Galaxy, you should look for Software update instead of System. On Pixel smartphones, you need to tap Advances instead of About phone. Either way, you should find your way to the Download and install option easily.

5. Check Down Detector for Instagram Outages

Several users have responded to our article during the same time frame, stating they were having a sound issue that lasted for several days. Although it didn’t affect everyone, a massive outage is easy to spot using Down Detector.

1. Visit the site and type ‘Instagram’ into the search box.

This step will tell you if other people have the same issue as you and cut your troubleshooting time short. If there is a massive problem, you can report it to Instagram or wait it out. If not, continue troubleshooting or report it to Instagram.

6. Check the Hardware

Has your smartphone recently been submerged in liquid? Did you drop it? If the answer is yes, there might be a hardware issue that prevents your phone from playing sound.

To test things out, try playing sound with other apps, such as YouTube, SoundCloud, or Spotify, and make sure the volume is up to the max. Hopefully, you’ll be able to hear the sound from the built-in speakers.

If not, try cleaning your speakers with a toothbrush or soft-bristled brush. Assuming this doesn’t work, you may need to take your phone into a repair shop to have the speakers replaced.

7. Check for the iOS 13 Glitch

With iOS 13, many users reported issues with their Instagram audio. Whether it just isn’t playing while you’re scrolling or you aren’t able to record audio, this issue is easily remedied.

Follow these instructions to fix this update glitch:

1. Close the Instagram app and go to the Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap on Instagram.
3. Toggle the Microphone and Camera options off (they will change from green to grey).
4. Open the Instagram app back up and tap on the camera in the upper right-hand corner.
5. Finally, tap to enable the camera and microphone for Instagram.

Many users who’ve reported this issue can attest to this fix. If you’ve tried everything we’ve listed above to no avail, this should resolve issues for iPhones running iOS 13.

8. Clear Instagram Cache

Clearing the Instagram app may fix the problem. Essentially, this wipes out stored data, so it’s similar to an app restoral. You can always choose to delete and reinstall the application on your phone, but clearing the Cache is a simple solution to try:

For Android:

1. Go to the settings of your phone and tap on the Apps or Application Manager.
2. Scroll down to and tap on Instagram.
3. Tap on Storage.
4. Tap on Clear Cache.

The steps above won’t delete any of your information in the app, although you may need to log back in once you’ve cleared the Cache.

For iPhone:

Unfortunately, iPhone users will have to delete the app to clear the Cache. You can either long-press the app icon until it jiggles, then click on the X to confirm, or you can go through the settings.

1. Go to your iPhone’s Settings menu and tap on General.
2. Tap on Storage and scroll down to the Instagram app and tap it.
3. Then, tap on Delete App. You’ll need to confirm the deletion.

Once the above process is done, you can go back to the App Store and reinstall the application. Just be sure you have your iCloud password to download and your Instagram login credentials.

9. Check Your Phone’s Settings

Lastly, there’s one other thing you can check—your Sounds. Both iOS and Android have separate settings for how your phone distributes sound. Of course, you’ve probably tried turning the volume up, but it isn’t unheard of (especially after a system update) that your sounds could route to the wrong speaker. For example, if your phone is routing to the earpiece, you aren’t likely to hear it.

1. Open the Settings on your phone and type ‘Sounds‘ into the search box (iOS users need to open Settings and scroll down slightly for this box to appear).
2. Once you’ve pulled up the selections, go through the applicable ones. For example, Accessibility on both operating systems can mess up your sound. Be sure that all sounds are turned on.
3. Next, try switching from the right to the left speaker or slide the bar to the middle to use both. If you have a friend nearby who isn’t having the issue, look at their Settings, and update yours to match.

Instagram Sound

Unfortunately, there are many reasons why the sound might stop working on Instagram. Thankfully, you now know the best solutions to try if you find the sound not working for you on Instagram.