Instagram is a globally recognized picture and video-sharing social platform and it’s maintained by Meta from the USA. You can glance at other’s content, like the content, and perform different activities such as viewing trending content based on hashtags and location. Currently, Instagram resides in 5th place for the most visited platform on the internet, with over 1.5 billion users worldwide. Today, Instagram is a career for a large number of influencers and regular people because it has grown to be a key platform for branding and advertisements.
But, you might encounter a few bugs and errors while using Instagram, as nothing is perfect. Regarding that, an error called “Challenge required” might come your way if you use Instagram on a regular basis. We cannot downright call it an “error” because it’s a security protocol set up by Instagram. Let’s learn about the Instagram challenge required error and how to fix it, so you can satisfactorily use the app.
What is Instagram Challenge Required Error?
Instagram functions fluently most of the time, so when you run into the Instagram challenge required glitch, no need to panic because it’s a precaution set up by Instagram to prevent bot activities and spam on the app. It usually happens when you try to log in to your Instagram account via a PC browser. Primarily, the “challenge required” message pops up because the app identifies you as a bot, preventing you from accessing the account. On the other hand, it’s a security authentication to check if the original user is trying to log in, so hackers cannot unfairly invade your account.
However, you can dismiss the Instagram challenge required message when it appears, which means there won’t be any issues with your device’s functionality. After that, Instagram will request identification proof from you to grant you access to your account. You can then use your account after a successful identification process.
However, if the issue still persists, you can try the below suggestions to fix the challenge required error.
How to fix the Instagram challenge Required Error?
The Instagram challenge required message normally pops up when you try to access your Instagram account from the browser in place of the application or if you try to log in to your account from a different unknown device. As Instagram is exceptionally user-friendly and doesn’t display major errors frequently, the Instagram challenge required error can be fixed quite easily by some of the given procedures.
Check Internet Connection
First and foremost, make sure to check the internet connection of your device. The Instagram app needs sufficient amount of bandwidth to work. You can try to inspect your current internet condition by performing a speed test. If you’re not getting enough bandwidth or your internet connection is facing difficulties, try to resolve your network issue first; it might fix the Instagram error.
Change your Network
The Instagram challenge required bug can also occur if your IP address is blocked temporarily. Regarding this issue, you have to make sure you’re either connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data on your device and try changing it to the alternative one. Just switch between Wi-Fi or mobile data, and it should fix the issue.
Instagram Server Status
One of the major reasons why the error arises is when the official Instagram server is facing a disruption. If the Instagram server takes excessive time to respond, the challenge required error might come your way. To check the server status of Instagram, you can just visit the official Twitter page for Instagram to see the updates.
Or you can check the server status through the command prompt of your PC. To do that:
- Open the command prompt on your PC
- Type this command – ping instagram.com
- Press “Enter”
If you get continuous replies from the server, that signifies the server is functioning perfectly. On the other hand, if you get “request timed out” as a reply, that means the Instagram server is down for the time being. So just wait for the server to return back to normal functioning so that you can use Instagram without trouble.
Check for Updates
We constantly receive updates from Instagram’s developers, including the newest features, security updates and fixes for minor or serious issues. So if the version of your Instagram app is outdated, updating the app may resolve the challenge required error. Go to the Google PlayStore on Android or AppStore on iOS devices to see if any new updates are available, and simply install them.
Clear the Cache
Temporary issues like the Instagram challenge required error can also be solved by simply clearing the app’s cache memory. Data from the app, such as saved login credentials and additional saved contents, will remain after clearing the cache.
Follow the steps to clear the Instagram cache:-
For an Android device,
- Go to the phone’s “Settings”
- Next step, navigate to “App List” and then “Instagram”
- Now go to “Storage” then tap on “Clear Cache”
For iPhone users,
Users need to “Offload” data for this process. Here are the steps for that:
- Go to your device’s “Settings”
- Press on “General” then navigate to “iPhone Storage”
- Select “Instagram” from your installed apps
- Now select “Offload App” and then “Reinstall App”
After clearing the cache memory from the app, it will wipe the needless data that might have caused the challenge required error in the first place.
Log off from other Devices
This error usually occurs as you try to log in from a different device or a browser. However, log out from wherever you were previously logged in and try to log in from your current device or browser. It might become a quick solution to fix the Instagram challenge required error.
Use a VPN
The error might might happen as a result of your IP address being temporarily blocked, using a VPN can avoid all kinds of limitations because it will allocate you a new and temporary IP address. You can find numerous VPN apps such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Atlas VPN and many more.
Restart Instagram
The challenge required error is a temporary glitch and the quickest solution could be closing and reopening the Instagram app. It may not sound significant, but it resolves cache memory-related issues or simple bugs.
Instagram Support
If you tried all of the above methods but still face the Instagram challenge required error when trying to log in to your account, then the best bet would be to visit Instagram Support to try and fix the issue.
Closing Thoughts
If you’ve been facing the Instagram challenge required error quite frequently and have no idea how to fix it, it might become an actual challenge to you. But if you follow the given methods correctly one by one, one of them will surely help you fix the problem. For security reasons, this error is momentary and typically lasts 1-2 days. So, no need to panic because after this, you can access your Instagram account and enjoy the virtual social network again. All the best!
Experiencing difficulties with your Device, check out our “How To” page on how to resolve some of these issues.
