Instagram Stories are being unexpectedly muted on iPhones – but it is going to be fixed

‘ We’re working to fix this issue as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience’, a Facebook spokesperson said

(AFP via Getty Images)

Apple’s latest iPhone software, iOS 15, is causing Instagram Stories to play without audio.

Users are finding that playing a Story with the ringer switch set to silent mode completely mutes the video, despite that mode only intended to silence message notifications and calls - rather than the audio heard within apps.

On Reddit, many users said that they were facing problems, having to unmute their phones to listen to audio on Instagram and YouTube - something that does not happen on iOS 14.

Facebook, which owns the photo app, told The Verge that it was aware of the problem. “We’re aware that some people are having trouble hearing their audio in Instagram Stories. We’re working to fix this issue as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience”, a spokesperson said.

However, the social media giant has not confirmed if the issue is specifically related to the new operating system.

This is not the only concern people have had with iOS 15. There has been a controversy over a feature that would detect when children are being sent inappropriate photos, and when people have child sexual abuse material on their devices.

Campaigners argued that the feature increased the privacy risks, and undermined Apple’s public commitment to privacy as a human right - leading to Apple delaying the rollout.