Instagram Stories Bug Permanently Deletes Content and Cannot Be Restored

According to Instagram's announcement, the bug caused some content in the Stories archive to be deleted without the ability to recover: "Due to a technical issue, this story is no longer available. While we've fixed the issue, your story can't be restored."

Instagram has provided this information to affected users, although Meta, Instagram's parent company, declined to provide specific numbers on how many users were affected.

“We have identified and fixed a bug that caused some users’ highlights and archives to be deleted,” a Meta spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, we are unable to restore the lost stories and are notifying affected users via the app.”

Instagram Stories is a popular feature on the platform, allowing users to share photos, videos or text for up to 24 hours. Special content can be saved as highlights on a person's profile. However, this issue has left many people unable to access important memories they have stored.

The Instagram incident once again highlights the importance of not relying on a single method of backing up media. For important memories, users should consider backing up photos, videos, and important documents in multiple places, rather than relying on a single social media platform.

Users should consider regularly backing up important content to storage services other than Instagram to minimize the risk of loss. This incident also highlights how social media platforms, no matter how reputable, can still experience serious technical issues that impact user experience and data.