Instagram Ads Wrong Country? (Here’s Why)

Are you super annoyed from getting Instagram ads from different countries and aren’t even in the language you speak?

You are not alone. A ton of others get irrelevant ads from foreign countries every single day.

In this post, I’ll shed some light on why you get Instagram ads from wrong country and show you a couple of ways to get rid of these ads.

Why Would You Get Instagram Ads From The Wrong Country?


So, what causes irrelevant ads from foreign countries to appear on your Instagram?

Well, there can be few reasons for this to happen:

⚡Also Read: My Facebook ads shown in wrong country

Traveling To Another Country

One reason for foreign ads to appear on Instagram is that you have traveled to another country.

If you have given Instagram permission to access your location, its algorithm will show you ads based on your current location.

And you don’t have to be in that country right now either.

Even if you visited recently, Instagram will still show you ads related to that country.

This is because Meta ads has default location targeting set to “includes people living in or recently in the location”. The advertiser has to change this.

Using A VPN Or A Proxy Server

If you are using Instagram through a VPN or a proxy server, why Instagram ads wrong country.

VPNs and proxy servers assign a temporary ip address of a different geographical location to you, and one way Instagram identifies your location is through the IP.

So Instagram will think you live there and show ads from that location.

The Advertiser Has Targeted Your Location

It’s also possible that some Instagram advertisers have set up their ad campaigns to target your country intentionally.

They probably think your country might also be interested in their product or service.

Or they might just be trying to run awareness or engagement ad campaigns and increase followers. They won’t care which country they are from as long as they get more followers.

⚡Also Read: Instagram ad approved but not running

Bug, Glitch Or Other Tech Issue

Some Instagram users have reported on online forums of having seen Instagram Ads from foreign countries continuously.

And then starting to get from their own geographical location after certain updates to Instagram, only to start seeing those foreign ads again after a while.

So, there may be some unresolved issue on Instagram’s end at play here, like a bug in its algorithm.

How Stop Seeing Instagram Ads From Wrong Countries


Now that we know what causes wrong country ads to show up on your Instagram feed, let’s look into how you can put a stop to that:

Turn Your VPN Or Proxy Off

If you are using a VPN or a proxy server, try turning it off.

This will most likely stop those annoying foreign Instagram ads.

Deny Instagram Access To Your Current Location

If you get those foreign Instagram ads when you travel overseas, disabling location services or turning off precise location for the Instagram app might put a stop to that.

How exactly you can do this varies slightly the device you use to access Instagram.

But generally, you can follow these steps:

iPhone

Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Instagram.

Then, toggle off the switch for Precise Location or select Never to turn off location services for the app completely.

Android

Go to Settings > Location > App location permissions > Instagram.

Toggle off the switch for Use precise location to disable precise location services.

Report The Foreign Ads Or Hide Them

If you report or hide those foreign ads on your Instagram feed on a continuous basis, Instagram’s algorithm will take your actions into account and stop showing them to you eventually.

⚡Also Read: Boyfriends Instagram explore page models

To report an ad,

  • Tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner of the sponsored post.
  • Tap Report ad.
  • Under Why are you reporting this ad?, the Not interested option to let Instagram know the ad is not relevant to you.

To hide an Instagram ad, you can follow these steps:

  • Tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner of the sponsored post.
  • Select Hide ad.
  • Choose Not relevant as the reason for hiding the ad from the options provided.

Contact Instagram Support

If none of those solutions I have shown you worked, and you absolutely don’t want those ads showing up on your Instagram feed, you need to contact Instagram.

Email the support and explain your problem.

They might look into the matter and make them disappear from your account completely.

How Do I Change My Country On Instagram Ads?

There is no direct option to change countries on Instagram, but there are some things you can do to give the algorithm an idea of your location.

The first thing you should do is clear your Instagram login history. Then uninstall the app to clear all its data and cache files.

Afterwards reinstall it and turn on location so that the algo knows where you are

Also, if you have a business account – set your business location to your country and turn it off from displaying to people from Privacy settings. That should help too.

Now, do some posts and tag the location on them.

Why Am I Getting Ads From A Different State?

The only reason you get ads from a different state is because you recently visited there or many of your friends visited the state. Meta uses your friends’ data to get an idea of your location too.

Wrapping Up


If you see ads from the wrong countries on your Instagram feed, it can be because you are traveling or using a VPN. It might also be some technical issue on Instagram’s end.

To stop them, try turning your VPN off, denying Instagram access to your precise location, or continuously report those ads or hide them.

If nothing stops this – contact support.

Sometimes the advertisers might actually be targeting your country. If this is the cause, there’s nothing you can do unfortunately.

About Author

Lito James is the founder of Massivepeak.com. He is an entrepreneur and marketing specialist who helps businesses to get more leads, subscribers, and customers. Massive Peak has been featured on G2, Cloudways, Sujanpatel, GetResponse, Renderforest, and many more. Follow on LinkedIn | Twitter

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