Instagram Launches an Optimised Version of Its App for iPad With a Reels-Focused Design

Instagram rolled out an optimised version of its app for Apple's iPad on Wednesday. The listing for the photo and video sharing platform on the App Store now shows screenshots of the app, which is designed for bigger screens and includes several iPad-specific features. One of the most prominent changes includes a heavy focus on Reels, the platform's vertical-scrolling short-video format that competes with the likes of TikTok and YouTube Shorts. The app also features a two-column layout in DMs and while opening the comment section. Notably, Instagram for iPad comes less than four months after Meta brought the official WhatsApp app to iPadOS.

Instagram for iPad Comes With Improvements and Missed Features

The Meta-owned social media platform was first launched in 2010. However, it took the company nearly 15 years to launch an optimised version of its app for iPadOS. Explaining the reason in the announcement post, Instagram said, “We've taken the time to design an experience that optimises your favourite parts of Instagram for a bigger screen.” Notably, while Instagram is available for Android tablets, it does not support the wider landscape orientation.

One significant change with the iPad app is the focus on Reels, which is now the default home screen when users open Instagram. This means, unlike the iPhone version, users will not be able to directly check posts from accounts they follow, and instead can directly watch Reels. The company said that this was done to “reflect how people use bigger screens today.”

New Following tab on Instagram for iPad
Photo Credit: Instagram

This redesigned home screen will also show Stories at the top, similar to the mobile interface. However, to check posts from friends and followed accounts, users will now have to tap on a new Following tab, placed next to the Home tab.

The Following tab on iPad comes with three sorting options to make it easier for users to find relevant posts. First is All, which will show all recommended posts and Reels from the followed accounts. The Friends option will show content from accounts a user follows, who follow them back. And the Latest option will show chronological content from the followed accounts, with the most recent posts appearing first. The last option is not available on the mobile app.

Multi column layout on Instagram for iPad
Photo Credit: Instagram

Additionally, the Instagram for iPad is also introducing a multi-column layout, aimed at maximising the bigger screen. With this, when users are in the DM section, they will be able to see their primary inbox view while sending messages to another user. Similarly, they will also be able to see the full post or Reel with the comment section open.

Interestingly, a comment on a 9to5Mac report about the Instagram app noted that the iPad app misses out on the feature to rearrange photos in the profile grid, which was recently added to the mobile app.

Instagram says that the iPad app will run on models that are running iPadOS 15.1 and newer versions, and is now available to download via the App Store. The company also added that it will soon launch the new design to Android tablets in the future.

Meanwhile, the company is also testing the use of the native picture-in-picture (PiP) mode on iOS, according to details shared recently by a user on Threads. The feature, which is also used by apps like YouTube and Netflix, allows users to continue watching videos even after a user swipes on the bottom navigation bar to exit the app, or switches to another app.