Instagram down: App stops working as users told their account has been suspended

Instagram has stopped working properly, with vast numbers of people being told their account has been locked.

Users were unable to get online and instead saw a message indicating their account had been suspended. But the issue appears to be a technical problem, rather than a mass banning of accounts.

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Still, the lack of clarity left users confused as the app suggested they had broken its rules – or community guidelines, as the app refers to them – and would be no longer able to use it.

Instagram said in a tweet that it was aware of the problems – but did not comment on whether the suspensions were the result of a bug, and if they would be restored after the issue is fixed. It also did not give any indication of when the problem might be resolved.

“We’re aware that some of you are having issues accessing your Instagram account,” its official account wrote. “We’re looking into it and apologise for the inconvenience.”

It is just the latest in a series of major technical issues. Fellow Meta app WhatsApp, for instance, was hit by its own significant technical problems last week.

Others who were still able to get into their accounts found that their followers had dropped significantly, presumably as a result of so many accounts being suspended.