Have you ever taken what you thought was a great photo, or a high quality video, only to find that when you view your Instagram story back again the content has gone blurry?
The issue with Instagram story clarity isn’t always linked with your connection – and don’t worry, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a bad eye or are a poor photographer!
From issues within the app itself, to the way that you choose to capture photos and video footage, there are a number of things that could cause your Instagram story to appear blurry when you watch it back.
In this blog, we’re sharing some of the main causes of a blurry story update – and how to fix the most common issues.
1. Bad Connection
This may seem obvious, but if your connection is bad when you share and upload an Instagram story, this could impact the transfer and lead to a blurry story.
The only way to really fix this is to delete the story and try uploading it again when you are somewhere with a better connection.
2. The Camera You Use
Often, when an Instagram user knows that they are taking a photo or video clip to share to their Instagram story, they will access the Instagram story camera directly.
Not only does this remove the ability to easily access this photo or footage after posting, unless you save it directly to your device camera reel after posting, but it also means that the content and imagery you will end up with is of a significantly lower quality.
Most people don’t know that the Instagram camera captures a screenshot of the device camera’s viewfinder, which translates to a low quality image. So, it is always better to capture the photo or video using your device camera app, and then upload it to Instagram as you would with other content.
3. Make Sure Your Uploads Are Set To ‘High Quality’
This is another thing that many users don’t know about – that is, until they really go hunting for information about their image upload quality and clarity.
In your Instagram settings, there is a section dedicated to upload quality. This falls under Data Usage, with videos in particular using up more data to upload in high quality.
Sometimes, checking this setting can lead to a revelation, that your app has been skimping on quality in order to save data and upload videos more quickly. Switching on the option to “Upload at Highest Quality” will mean that Story uploads take longer – but the quality will be worth it!
To check this on your own Instagram app, head to:
- Settings
- Account
- Data Usage
From here, see if the quality switch is activated or not. You can also see if your app has automatically switched to Data Saver mode – which can again impact upload quality. Switching this option off will add another layer to your image and video upload quality.
4. Outdated Instagram App
There are countless problems that can occur, and that you may experience, when your Instagram app has become outdated. The best way to keep on top of in-app fixes and adjustments is to update your app on a regular basis – even if you don’t think your app is currently experiencing any glitches or challenges.
5. Check Instagram’s Status
Twitter, Facebook, and other social media apps are flooded with searches for more information any time something happens to the Instagram app.
Checking Instagram’s status and seeking out information about app glitches and user issues is one of the quickest ways of telling if a blurry story is a result of Instagram itself, or a problem with your device specifically.
Instagram-wide issues are few and far between – but when they do occur, the fallout is huge!
6. Is Your Image or Video TOO High in Quality?
If your video or image is too high in quality, then Instagram will be forced to compress it prior to upload.
As a general rule, Instagram stories need to be smaller than 4GB, so anything larger will be compressed – which can lead to it becoming blurry if you’re not careful.
Could It Be Time For The On/Off Technique?
Finally, there is no quicker fix than turning Instagram on and off – in this case, deleting and reinstalling the app.
It takes just a few minutes to do but can reset all of the aforementioned issues to such an extent that it repairs any underlying issues and restores your Instagram stories to their full, high quality glory.
We hope this helps – and don’t forget to save your Instagram password before deleting the app! You don’t want to be locked out for good!
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