Products · Product
Raised as a usability problem by 447 people on Hacker News over 16 years (2011–2026), in 351 threads.
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Every issue, all time, most people first
Hard to browse content without logging inUnreviewed
20112026- Hard to browse Instagram content without logging in2026-09-14
- Content behind forced login prompts and dark patterns when viewing shared links2026-08-25
- Menus only on Instagram, forced to sign in before seeing content2025-05-09
Feed keeps reloading before newest posts are seenUnreviewed
20112026- The 'you're all caught up' stopping point was removed, so the feed scrolls endlessly with no end2026-08-19
- Feed resets to algorithmic posts unless user reselects Following each time2026-01-17
- Scrolling fast makes the feed keep reloading the same content repeatedly2023-07-04
Ads appear every three or four posts in the feedUnreviewed
20112026- Can't find the friend feed, unsure if it's hidden or gone2026-06-08
- Forced waiting for ads to finish makes the app unusable2025-12-30
- Ad-blocking on mobile is annoying, and feed has an ad every two posts2025-09-26
Sign-up repeatedly fails with unexpected error and forced phone verificationUnreviewed
20112026- Verification email offers no way to say it wasn't them, and signup gets stuck in a confusing loop2025-05-17
- Account sign-up has hidden extra steps and false suspension threats pushing users to give phone numbers2023-09-06
- Signup demands identity documents, and signing up works on phone but fails on desktop2023-08-24
Account deletion needs web login and survives reactivation promptsUnreviewed
20112026- Can't find where the option to delete an account is hidden2023-10-29
- Deactivating the account is impossible; it gets reactivated automatically after the user tries.2023-07-06
- Services intentionally hide how to delete an account, so people must search for it2023-03-08
Desktop site hides photo upload unless browser pretends to be phoneUnreviewed
20112026- Can't upload photos from desktop without using a browser developer mode workaround2021-09-16
- Posting photos from the phone is awful to do2021-09-16
- Photos are hard to view well in the app; poor viewing experience for good photos2020-04-23
Can't turn off unwanted notifications, so all are disabledUnreviewed
20112026- Can't turn off unwanted notifications, so user disabled all notifications instead2026-05-27
- Hard to find how to disable recommended-post notifications; defaults reset after reinstalling the app2026-05-27
- Unnecessary notifications pull the user back into the app against their wishes2023-03-08
Suggested posts are forced into the feed, hiding chosen contentUnreviewed
20112026- Can only snooze recommended posts for 30 days, not turn them off2025-08-19
- Suggested posts setting silently turns back on after 30 days2025-04-24
- Cannot permanently opt out of suggested posts, reels, or threads in the feed2025-02-24
Account banned with no reason and no way to reach a humanUnreviewed
20112026- Gets auto-banned and can't reach a human to resolve it2026-06-08
- Account banned with no reason given and no way to reach a human2026-06-02
- Got banned instantly with no reason given, and the ID verification process failed2026-02-21
Not interested feedback doesn't stop unwanted content returningUnreviewed
20112026- Clicking "not interested" doesn't stop unwanted content from reappearing2026-02-14
- Feed keeps showing unwanted content despite repeated 'not interested' feedback2025-04-21
- Clicking 'not interested' on dozens of videos doesn't stop mindless memes from returning2024-09-26
Mobile website is so poor it pushes users to the appUnreviewed
20112026- Web version of apps feels kludgy and awkward to use2025-07-26
- Mobile website is so poor it pushes users toward the native app2024-01-19
- Sites are painful to use from a mobile browser2023-08-16
Can't play a video from the start, must wait for loopUnreviewed
20112026- Videos can only be paused by tapping and holding the screen, which is unintuitive2025-01-31
- Can't pause or seek videos, and can't watch at 2x speed2025-01-19
- Videos cannot be skipped and lack basic playback controls like seeking or speed2023-11-07
Reels and Shorts pull users into endless content with no off switchUnreviewed
20112026- Feed prioritizes reels so photos are hard to find2026-04-26
- Reels and Shorts feed pulls users into endless discovery content with no way to turn it off2025-08-19
- Can't turn off Reels or Shorts-style features, so the addictive feed can't be avoided2025-05-21
Feed shows only a few accounts, so users must check others manuallyUnreviewed
20112026- Can't steer Explore feed toward new interests, so user must create separate accounts2024-01-11
- Feed shows reels from unfollowed accounts instead of posts from followed people2022-07-27
- More than half the feed is from accounts the user doesn't follow2022-07-13
Reels play sound randomly and lack a usable video scrubberUnreviewed
20112026- Reels might play sound randomly and lack an easily usable video scrubber2025-08-19
- Keeps pushing Reels even after the user repeatedly asks it to stop2023-03-09
- Reels blast sound when scrolled or tapped by accident, making it hard to avoid2022-07-27
Hacked account recovery is hard to get throughUnreviewed
20112026- Hacked-account form loops endlessly back to the login help page2023-01-27
- Account recovery after a hack is terrible and hard to get through2022-06-11
- Can't recover hacked account after email was changed; no way to reach support2021-12-01
Videos auto-advance when rewatching, and scroll nudge never goes awayUnreviewed
20112026- Annoying popup must be dismissed to watch video without logging in2025-01-17
- Videos auto-advance when user wants to rewatch; nudge prompt to scroll never goes away2022-08-17
- Explore screen shows three moving videos at once, so the user can't use it2022-07-26
No visible indicator for switching to the chronological feedUnreviewed
20112026- No visible indicator for switching to the chronological Following feed2026-06-08
- Chronological Following feed is hidden behind the logo, so users can't easily find it2026-05-12
- No way to make the chronological following-only feed the default2023-11-15
Notification prompt reappears on every login after decliningUnreviewed
20112026- Repeated prompts push users to re-enable features they turned off2026-04-02
- Repeatedly prompts for birthday with fullscreen notifications even after force quit and reboot2022-07-27
- Notification prompt reappears on every login after declining it2021-05-02
Text too small on phone, with zoom and font size blockedUnreviewed
20112026- Photos and text too small to read on phone, zoom and font size blocked2021-07-11
- Can't zoom into photos, only sees a small square thumbnail2015-10-15
- Text is too small to read without zooming, which breaks the design2012-02-20
Vertical scrolling is split into sections, replacing skimming with pagingUnreviewed
20112026- Scrolling old grid posts is broken: loads a page of images, freezes, then loads another, so scrolling 300 posts takes minutes2023-07-08
- New paged scrolling feels clunky, so users can't skim quickly past bad content2022-07-27
- Vertical scrolling is broken into sections, and fast skimming is replaced by one-post-at-a-time paging2018-12-27
Redesign uses dark patterns pushing unintended usesUnreviewed
20112026- Interface is full of dark patterns that push users into choices2023-07-04
- Social media designed with dark patterns that pull people into using it2021-06-29
- Redesign uses dark patterns that push users toward unintended uses2020-11-15
Can't reclaim an email tied to someone else's accountUnreviewed
20112026- Email confirmation fails with vague error; account suspended with no clear way to appeal2024-06-11
- Couldn't reclaim an email tied to someone else's account; support never responded2020-09-03
- Account goes live without verification; reclaiming own email requires many hoops2017-03-11
More suggested content in feed keeps users scrolling longerUnreviewed
20112026- Endless suggested posts and reels pull users into scrolling, dark patterns that keep them hooked2026-01-16
- Injects more suggested content into feed, and infinite scroll keeps users scrolling longer2024-03-08
- Single user's bursts of posts flood the feed, and the user has to scroll hunting for things2018-04-09
Stories keep being pushed and get in the way of photosUnreviewed
20112026- Non-algorithmic feed is off by default and hides stories, making it unusable2022-06-10
- Users cannot turn off the stories or feed, so scrolling pulls them in2022-01-08
- Stories feature keeps getting pushed and gets in the way of the main photo feed2019-01-29
Right-click copy is blocked, so image URL requires the inspectorUnreviewed
20112026- Images can't be copied directly, forcing users to dig through dev tools2019-05-09
- Right-click copy blocked, so sharing an image requires opening the inspector to get its URL2019-01-30
- Can't copy images from web version without using the inspector; video player won't skip ahead or back2018-08-08
Buying from an ad takes so much effort people give upUnreviewed
20112026- Shopping on Instagram is a high-friction way to buy things2024-04-23
- Instagram has a horrible UX that its owner accepts for ad revenue2022-07-27
- Buying from an Instagram ad takes so much effort that people give up2022-02-13
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Feature to see only followed accounts' posts is hard to find and use2026-10-31
- Events are buried in a feed of random photos, so specific searches require endless scrolling2026-09-21
- Hard to browse Instagram content without logging in2026-09-14
- Web app is nonfunctional: clicking links reloads the page and tries opening the app2026-09-14
- Search is effectively nonexistent, so the user cannot find event photos2026-09-11
- Businesses post hour changes on Instagram, so the author arrives at closed shops2026-09-07
- Users can't easily turn off infinite scroll or algorithmic feed, needing custom apps instead2026-08-26
- Content behind forced login prompts and dark patterns when viewing shared links2026-08-25
- The 'you're all caught up' stopping point was removed, so the feed scrolls endlessly with no end2026-08-19
- Animated videos jump at you, pulling attention away from the search you wanted2026-08-18
- Buttons and overlays cover about 30% of shared videos and images and can't be hidden2026-08-15
- Hovering over username opens a preview that covers the comments button, causing accidental follows2026-08-12
- Post and compose buttons moved around in UI changes, disrupting users' familiar layout2026-06-17
- Menu takes about 5 seconds, with spinners, to show a static list2026-06-10
- Can't find the friend feed, unsure if it's hidden or gone2026-06-08
- No visible indicator for switching to the chronological Following feed2026-06-08
- Gets auto-banned and can't reach a human to resolve it2026-06-08
- Web version is so much less rewarding to use that the user barely opens it2026-06-02
- Account banned with no reason given and no way to reach a human2026-06-02
- Endless captcha pages, then login hangs on redirect message2026-06-01
- Shared links need multiple steps and dismissing modals to view without logging in2026-06-01
- Maximum font size makes Instagram practically unusable2026-06-01
- Can't turn off unwanted notifications, so user disabled all notifications instead2026-05-27
- Hard to find how to disable recommended-post notifications; defaults reset after reinstalling the app2026-05-27
- Chronological Following feed is hidden behind the logo, so users can't easily find it2026-05-12
- Messages disappear between devices and users must back up encryption keys2026-05-08
- Web version shows an error and Play just forces a app download2026-05-05
- Feed prioritizes reels so photos are hard to find2026-04-26
- Time limit lockout is cleared just by exiting or killing the app2026-04-16
- Repeated prompts push users to re-enable features they turned off2026-04-02
- Can't find the hashtag posts with group themes anymore; feed is mostly ads2026-03-01
- Got banned instantly with no reason given, and the ID verification process failed2026-02-21
- Feed keeps showing thirst traps for male-identified users and can't be reset despite effort2026-02-20
- Clicking "not interested" doesn't stop unwanted content from reappearing2026-02-14
- Repeated selfie verification prompts and permanent bans with no reachable support2026-02-13
- Reporting fake clone accounts is frustrating and often yields no action2026-02-10
- Impossible to find a reel based on keywords2026-02-10
- Face scan during signup, then account flagged as suspicious and locked out2026-02-09
- Feed resets to algorithmic posts unless user reselects Following each time2026-01-17
- Endless suggested posts and reels pull users into scrolling, dark patterns that keep them hooked2026-01-16
- Users must complete an 11-step manual export process to get their data2026-01-12
- Can't tell if password reset emails are real attempts or manipulative re-engagement2026-01-10
- Checkout auto-enrolls buyers in a monthly subscription with no disclosure or way to cancel online2026-01-01
- Forced waiting for ads to finish makes the app unusable2025-12-30
- IPad app opens to reels, so followed people's posts require hunting through the menu2025-12-10
- Navigation is awful and deliberately keeps users stuck on the home feed2025-12-09
- Density of ads and dark patterns pushes the user away2025-12-01
- Website freezes solid after seconds, forcing repeated browser restarts to see stories2025-11-26
- Pasting a long post description silently does nothing, with no feedback2025-11-26
- GUI is designed to require extra taps, pushing users toward ad-boosting engagement2025-11-07