Instagram is no stranger to annoying bugs and glitches, the latest of which is the ‘Privacy Checks’ error preventing people from using the app. Instagram is a robust and powerful smartphone app when everything works the way it should. It’s a platform to upload photos and videos, follow your favorite creators, and even do a bit of online shopping. Instagram is a much different app than it was a few years ago — and it’s only changing more as time goes on.

Unfortunately, repeated updates and new features also introduce unwanted bugs. If you’ve used Instagram for long enough, you’ve probably experienced many of them yourself. An issue with the iOS 14 update in 2020 made it look like Instagram was constantly using people’s iPhone cameras even when the app was closed. There was also an issue with the iOS 15 update that broke audio playback in Instagram Stories. Combine that with server outages, account issues, etc., and it’s a lot to keep up with.

Related: How To See Who Viewed Your Instagram Posts (Photos, Videos, & Stories)

As of April 2022, a new Privacy Checks error is causing headaches for multiple users. Either while browsing Instagram or immediately after opening the app, numerous people on Twitter report getting a black screen that prevents them from doing anything. Sometimes it’s a solid black page with no text, while others see the black screen with a ‘Privacy Checks’ message at the top. Either way, the bug renders the entire Instagram app useless with no clear way to fix it. Twitter user @mcors94 Tweeted a photo of the bug and said, “I am getting the following privacy check pop up and nothing is coming up, and I’m unable to click through/move forward with the app.” User @mikeruns0806 also Tweeted, “How about @instagram fix the privacy checks bug,” and @rmorkly_36 said, “this stupid instagram privacy check is happening to not just me thank god.”

How To Fix The Instagram Privacy Checks Bug

'Your Story' on the Instagram app

While it’s reassuring to know that the Privacy Checks bug isn’t a random issue only affecting your Instagram account, things get tricky when trying to fix it. For some people, it appears that uninstalling the Instagram app and re-downloading it is all it takes. On iPhone, hold down on the Instagram app, tap ‘Delete App,’ and tap ‘Delete’ again to confirm. On Android, open your phone’s app drawer, press and hold on the Instagram app, and tap the ‘Uninstall’ pop-up. Once Instagram is deleted, head to the App Store or Play Store, download it again, and you should be back to normal. If you’re running into the Privacy Checks bug on the Instagram website, try logging out of your account and logging back in.

Alternatively, you should check to make sure you’re running the latest version of the Instagram app on your phone. Some users with the Privacy Checks error claim to be purposefully using outdated versions of Instagram to avoid some of its less popular updates. If that’s also something you’re doing — or you suspect your app hasn’t been updated in a while — getting it to the latest version could patch things up. On the iPhone, open the App Store, tap your profile icon at the top right, pull down to refresh the page, and tap the ‘Update’ button next to Instagram if an update is available. To update on Android, open the Play Store, tap your profile icon at the top right, tap ‘Manage apps & devices,’ tap ‘Updates available,’ find Instagram, and tap the ‘Update’ button.

As it stands right now, those are the best solutions for fixing the Privacy Checks bug. Instagram still hasn’t addressed or acknowledged the issue, making it difficult to recommend further action. If uninstalling and updating your Instagram app still doesn’t solve things, it could be a problem on Instagram’s end that it needs to fix.