Feed doesn’t refresh on pull-to-refresh

If pull-to-refresh in Instagram is not updating the feed, the issue is usually one of these:

cached/stuck app state
weak or interrupted network
background sync failure
outdated app version
account/session glitch
temporary server-side issue

Try these in order:

Basic fixes

Fully close Instagram and reopen it.
Switch networks:
- Wi-Fi → mobile data
- mobile data → Wi-Fi
Turn airplane mode on/off.
Restart the phone.

Check if feed is actually stale

Sometimes refresh works but ranking doesn’t change much.

Test by:

checking if story rings update
searching a new account/post
opening Reels
checking DMs timestamps

If those update, only home ranking may be delayed.

Clear app cache

Android

Settings → Apps → Instagram → Storage → Clear Cache

iPhone

iOS has no direct cache clear:

Offload app
or reinstall Instagram

Update the app

Install the latest version from:

Check if Instagram servers are having issues

Sometimes refresh endpoints partially fail.

You can check:
Instagram Help Center

Log out and back in

A corrupted session token can stop refresh behavior.

Steps:

Settings → Log out
force close app
log in again

Disable battery/data restrictions

On Android especially:

disable battery optimization for Instagram
allow background data
allow unrestricted battery usage

If pull gesture works but spinner never ends

Possible causes:

VPN/proxy interference
DNS/ad blocker issue
corrupted cache
app experiment/bug

Try:

disabling VPN
disabling private DNS temporarily
reinstalling app

If this only happens on one account

The issue may be account-specific:

feed ranking backend stuck
temporary restriction
experimental rollout bug
Test by logging another account into the same phone.

If you’re developing/testing an app wrapper or automation

Instagram aggressively rate-limits unofficial behavior, and refresh endpoints may silently fail.

Use only official clients/APIs where possible.