Some Instagram users missing menu option & unable to toggle dark mode

Recent reports on Reddit and X suggest that some users are running into a couple of weird bugs on Instagram. Some Instagrammers claim that they can no longer see the three-line menu icon when they are on the profile tab. This icon is found along with the ‘Threads’ and ‘Create’ icons in the top right corner of the profile tab. But for whatever reason, this menu icon is no longer visible to users. Here’s a screenshot for reference:

One Reddit user asked, “Did Instagram remove the three bars?” while others chimed in to say they were equally baffled. A few users tried troubleshooting tips, like switching tabs or reinstalling the app, but none of the solutions seemed to work. A frustrated user pointed out, “I CANT CHANGE MY SETTINGSSSS”, while another said they couldn’t even access their saved Reels. It’s clear this isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s affecting how people use core parts of the app.

Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be a widespread problem. Apart from user reports claiming that they still see the menu icon, I was also able to confirm the icon is still present on four separate smartphones, on iOS and Android. So it’s possible that this simply might be an unintended glitch. Here’s a screenshot I took highlighting the menu icon is still present:

Adding to the frustration, some users report they’re stuck in light mode after Instagram’s dark mode toggle disappeared. One user described how the app flipped to light mode suddenly, with no option to switch back. Meanwhile, others suggest the app now follows the phone’s default system theme, so if your phone is in light mode, Instagram might follow suit, without any option to override it.

Upon checking, I noticed that the option to manually switch between dark and light modes on the Instagram app for iOS is missing. However, the option is still present on the Android app. So it seems like you’ll have to change your system-wide theme to dark mode in order to get the dark mode experience on iOS. Android users can still manually select the dark mode toggle even when they have light mode enabled system-wide.

For some, switching between multiple accounts on the same device seemed to reveal even more inconsistency. One user noted that one of their accounts still had both the settings menu and dark mode toggle, while another was stuck in light mode.

So it’s clear that something isn’t right with Instagram right now. What’s unclear is when and how long it’ll take Instagram to address these concerns. As usual, we’ll keep tabs on the situation and will update the article if we come across something worth sharing.