⁠Netizens LOL as Instagram quietly removes ability to save story and photo drafts

Instagram App Turns Ten - Source: Getty
Instagram quietly removes ability to save story and photo drafts (Image via Getty)

For anyone who's ever spent 30 minutes crafting the perfect selfie or meticulously designing a story slide—only to tap “save draft” and bounce—you might want to sit down. Instagram users are reporting a quiet, almost ghost-like disappearance of the app’s beloved story and photo draft-saving feature. No official announcement. No warning. Just vibes and confusion. The drama first bubbled up when users noticed their drafts had gone poof, and the option to save new ones? Gone too.

“Instagram users are reporting that they can no longer save story/photo drafts on the app,” tweeted @PopBase, triggering a digital group scream.

While some believe it's a bug, others suspect it's just Instagram doing Instagram things again—aka, confusing us all while adding zero useful features. Let’s dive into the chaos.


So... what actually happened to Instagram drafts?

The sudden disappearance of the draft-saving function for stories and photo posts appears to be linked to the latest update of the Instagram app. According to recent user reports, the issue began affecting devices earlier this week, especially after automatic updates rolled out. While the draft feature previously allowed users to save incomplete stories or unposted feed photos, it now seems either grayed out, buggy, or missing entirely on many devices.

This isn’t an isolated glitch either—it’s reportedly affecting both iOS and Android users. Some have noted that logging out and back in didn't solve the issue, while others found that the draft-saving feature still works if they haven’t updated their app recently. As one user smartly put it:

“Turn that automatic update off lol.”

Tech forums suggest that this might not be a bug but a phased removal or backend tweak, perhaps an experimental A/B test. Meanwhile, Instagram remains tight-lipped with no official statement explaining whether this was intentional, accidental, or just another Tuesday.

If you're panicking about your saved drafts—yes, those 13 versions of your beach sunset post—you’re not alone. Some have resorted to third-party story schedulers, while others are taking screenshots of their drafts before losing them forever. It’s the end of an era, folks.


Instagram quietly ditches story and photo draft-saving, and netizens are not OK

The moment Instagram users realized their story and photo drafts had vanished, X (formerly Twitter) lit up like someone had just announced Mercury was in Gatorade again. The digital meltdown was swift, meme-filled, and—honestly—a little therapeutic.

First came the tech-savvy survivalists, flexing their insider knowledge like they’d cracked the Instagram code:

“I worked around it. I have my tricks. Not gonna share it because then Instagram will take that too. 😎"- @callmehohoho
“I got mine. Turn that automatic update off lol” - @PUNKYTHESINGER

Then arrived the chronically online critics, pointing out the platform’s never-ending talent for fixing things that aren’t broken:

“always removing the good updates and never adding ‘who unfollowed you/doesn’t follow you back’ like go to hell” - @dieforyous
“Instagram doing everything except actually making the app better 💀"- @TheGlobal_Index
“twitter and instagram having a who ruins the app more off” - @crumbshizz

And of course, there was the collective mourning—the people who just wanted to save a cute photo in peace and were left heartbroken mid-selfie:

“literally why i just tried saving a bomb selfie and it didn’t work” - @barkforliz
“started on like tuesday i think & i fell to my knees” - @silylilgoose
“Pain” - @BitBullVault

Some users questioned Instagram’s entire vibe in 2025, hinting that uninstalling might be the only real solution:

“It’s like they want us to uninstall” - @KittyCommitteeX
“BRUH, why are all these apps in a race to see who can become the most unusable rn😭"- @_littlerobin_1

So yeah, the mood? Somewhere between “bring back my drafts” and “I’m switching to Pinterest.” Whether you’re here for the salt, the saviors, or the memes, one thing’s clear: Instagram struck a nerve, and the internet responded like it always does—loud, funny, and full of dramatic flair.


Instagram’s silent axing of story and photo draft-saving has sparked a full-blown digital meltdown—equal parts funny and frustrating. Whether it’s a glitch, an experiment, or just Instagram being chronically indecisive, the internet has made one thing clear: stop fixing what isn’t broken. Until Instagram clears the air (or reverses course), keep those auto-updates off, and maybe just post the bomb selfie now—before it disappears into the void.

Edited by Anshika Jain