Instagram down: App stops working with users unable to load news feeds

Facebook-owned WhatsApp recently embraced two-factor authentication too (Shutterstock)

Instagram has stopped working for many of its users.

The app's news feed isn't loading, apparently because of an issue with its servers.

Problems with the app have surged over the last few minutes, according to the website Down Detector. The issues appear to be occurring across the world.

Issues are appearing with all parts of the app, from logging in to loading up photos in the feed, according to users. The app's website — which has far fewer features but lets people see their feed and others' profiles — has also stopped working.

Instagram, like its owner Facebook, is rarely offline. But because of its huge size, any outage can cause problems across the internet, especially since it is used for corporate and media purposes as well as a social network.

The app was last updated on 18 April, according to Apple's App Store.