How to Fix the Dreaded Instagram Video Selfie Verification Error

Have you ever excitedly gone to login to Instagram only to be blocked by that annoying video selfie verification screen? I know how irritating it is when the selfie fails no matter what you try.

Maybe you got an error saying "Oops something went wrong", or the screen went blank halfway through. Or worse – the app crashed! This means you can‘t access your account until you successfully complete the video selfie process.

Not to worry my friend, I‘ve got you covered! I‘ll walk you through exactly how to fix the Instagram video selfie error so you can get back into your account.

In this detailed guide, I‘ll cover:

• What is the video selfie and why Instagram requires it
• Common errors like crashes, blank screens and more
• 3 methods to fix it – use another device, Facebook face recognition, reinstalling the app
• Pros and cons of each method
• Recent examples of Instagram bugs causing this
• Expert tips from a tech geek on troubleshooting this properly!

Let‘s get started and fix this so you can get back to scrolling your feed!

What is the Instagram Video Selfie and Why Does This Happen?

The video selfie is Instagram‘s way of verifying your identity. It makes sure you‘re the real owner of the account trying to log in.

Here‘s how it works:

• You‘ll be prompted to take a selfie video turning your head left, right and up.

• This allows Instagram to match your face with photos/videos already on your account.

• After processing, it will confirm you‘re the legitimate account holder.

You may need to do the video selfie for reasons like:

• Logging in from a new device

• Using third-party apps like analytics, followers trackers

• Suspicious activity or your account was compromised

• Shadowban speculation – Instagram restricting your reach

• Instagram glitch falsely requiring video selfie

According to Instagram, about 1 in 5 users will be prompted for a video selfie when logging in. So it‘s quite a common occurrence!

While verifying identity via selfies is not a bad thing, many users encounter technical issues getting it to work properly. Let‘s look at how to fix these problems.

The Most Common Instagram Video Selfie Errors

Before we dive into solutions, let‘s go over the most common errors people see when trying to complete the video selfie:

• "Oops, something went wrong" error after submitting selfie video

• Blank screen after starting the video selfie process

• Selfie video loads halfway then freezes

• App crashes unexpectedly during the video selfie

• Video records but disappears after submitting

• Video processes endlessly but never lets you login

These glitches prevent the video from processing correctly. Without a successful selfie, you can‘t access your Instagram account.

It‘s incredibly frustrating! The app gives no explanation for why it failed or info on how to fix it.

Next I‘ll share techniques to solve these video selfie issues so you can finally get back into Instagram.

Method 1: Use Another Device to Complete the Video Selfie

If your Instagram app is glitching during the video selfie, your best bet is to try it on another device entirely.

Here are the steps:

1. On a friend‘s iPhone, Android, tablet or borrowed device, login to your Instagram account.

2. Hold the device up at eye level and follow the on-screen prompts. Slowly turn your head to the left, right, then up.

3. After recording, tap "Submit" to complete the video selfie.

4. If successful, the video will process and you‘ll regain access to your account on that device.

Based on user reports, it seems using a fresh device provides the best results if your own app is having issues.

Pros:

• Quick fix that often works

• Access account right away after successful video selfie

• Allows troubleshooting the root cause on your original device

Cons:

• Need access to another device

• Annoying to complete every time you switch devices

While inconvenient, using another iPhone or Android seems to be the quickest resolution when your app won‘t cooperate.

Method 2: Enable Face Recognition on Facebook

If your Instagram account is linked to Facebook, an important step is turning on Facebook‘s face recognition setting.

Here are the steps on iPhone or Android:

1. Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon in the lower right.

2. Go to "Settings & Privacy" > "Settings"

3. Tap "Face Recognition" under the "Permissions" header.

4. On the Face Recognition screen, toggle it on to enable it.

With this enabled, Facebook can recognize your face and tie it back to your Instagram account. This prevents issues when you try the video selfie on Instagram.

How Facebook Face Recognition Works

Facebook face recognition uses AI technology to identify people in photos and videos. By enabling it, you allow Facebook to:

• Scan new uploads and match faces to your profile
• Suggest tagging people based on matching faces
• Help protect against impersonation or fake accounts

Essentially it connects your Facebook profile to your unique facial features. Activating this gives Instagram another data point to verify your identity during the video selfie.

Once you‘ve enabled face recognition, force quit the Instagram app and restart it. Now try the video selfie again. The connection with Facebook‘s facial recognition should help it work properly without errors.

Pros:

• Easy to enable if you use Facebook

• Helps improve success rate of video selfie

• Added layer of protection against impersonation

Cons:

• You must have an active Facebook account connected to Instagram

• Some privacy concerns around Facebook‘s facial recognition

While not completely necessary, activating this feature can help avoid headaches if you get asked to do the Instagram video selfie again.

Method 3: Uninstall and Reinstall Instagram After 3 Days

If you still can‘t get past the video selfie to access your account, the nuclear option is to uninstall and reinstall Instagram.

Here are the steps:

1. Delete the Instagram app from your device.

2. Wait 3 full days without using Instagram.

3. After 3 days, reinstall Instagram from the app store.

4. Try logging into your account again. The video selfie prompt should be gone!

This essentially resets Instagram‘s cache and data on your device. Many users found this removes the video selfie requirement when they login again after a few days.

It‘s an extreme measure but does work as a last resort if nothing else succeeds. Patience is key though – you must wait at least 3 days before reinstalling.

Pros:

• High success rate for resolving error

• Often eliminates video selfie requirement

Cons:

• Must go 3 days without Instagram

• Risk losing access if login issues continue

Only use this method as a last ditch effort to fix a stubborn video selfie error. But know it has helped many users finally bypass it.

Recent Examples of Instagram Video Selfie Bugs

To give you an idea of how finicky the video selfie process can be, here are a few recent examples of Instagram bugs related to it:

• January 2023 – Instagram rolled out an update that caused crashes for many users trying to record video selfies. They had to reinstall the app to resolve it.

• November 2022 – A bug prevented users from exiting the video selfie screen. They had to force quit Instagram to escape it.

• September 2022 – Users reported blank screens and failed video selfies after Instagram pushed a buggy update.

• August 2022 – Selfie videos got stuck processing infinitely, never allowing users to complete them.

As you can see, technical glitches with the video selfie popup frequently due to problems with Instagram‘s app updates.

The next section has some bonus tips from me on troubleshooting this issue.

Tips from a Tech Geek on Fixing the Video Selfie

Based on my experience with tech issues like this, here are a few tips that may help:

• Update Instagram app – Install latest update in case they fixed relevant bugs. But don‘t update if you know there‘s a bad version.

• Force quit app – Before retrying video selfie, force quit Instagram to clear any glitches.

• Check internet connection – Ensure you have a strong WiFi or cellular signal.

• Disable VPN – Turn off VPN if you use one, it can interfere with video selfie.

• Reset phone – If other options failed, do a full factory reset of your device.

• Contact Instagram support – Report problem if persists, but they likely won‘t offer much help.

• Be patient – Sometimes waiting a day or two fixes unexpected issues like this.

I know it‘s super frustrating dealing with Instagram‘s tech quirks. But hopefully these tips will save you some headaches if you encounter the video selfie failure again.

In Conclusion

To recap, here are the best methods to fix the pesky Instagram video selfie error:

• Use Another Device – Borrow a friend‘s phone or tablet to complete it.

• Enable Facebook Face Recognition – This links your Facebook profile to your Instagram account.

• Uninstall/Reinstall Instagram After 3 Days – Reset Instagram‘s cache and data, removes video selfie.

While a bit annoying, the video selfie is Instagram‘s way of protecting your account. But the process is definitely buggy.

Hopefully this guide gave you some effective troubleshooting tips from a tech geek perspective! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Now get back to browsing memes and drooling over travel photos my friend!