The phrase “keep Instagram open to finish posting how long” refers to the duration an Instagram application must remain active and in the foreground of a device to ensure successful completion of a post upload. The length of time can vary significantly depending on factors such as file size (images or video), internet connection speed, and server load on the Instagram platform. For example, a user uploading a high-resolution video via a slow network connection may need to keep the application open for several minutes, while a user uploading a small image over a fast connection may only need to wait a few seconds.
Maintaining the application in an active state prevents the operating system from suspending or terminating the process prematurely. Premature interruption can lead to incomplete uploads, data loss, or corruption of the media being posted. Historically, mobile operating systems have become increasingly aggressive in managing background processes to conserve battery life and system resources. Therefore, users have encountered situations where a seemingly uploading post fails because the Instagram application was suspended by the operating system before completion. This underscores the importance of keeping the application open until the upload status indicates successful completion.