The iPad was released a few months before Instagram was launched for iOS in 2010. But somehow, the iPad version of the app took 15 years to arrive. The rumour of its arrival has been in the air for a long time, but finally, Meta agreed to release it.
The iPad, being a different platform from a smartphone, requires a redesigned version of the app, especially because of the screen’s aspect ratio. Before the split from iOS into iOS and iPadOS, many apps adopted a new interface to take advantage of the iPad’s screen size. Otherwise, phone apps simply blew up to fit the larger screen. So far, the Instagram app stretched to the iPad's screen size, with thick bars on the sides. Instagram introduced layout improvements for folding phones a few years ago, but that didn’t help the iPad.
Over the years, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri cited some reason or the other for delaying the launch. In fact, the WhatsApp iPad app was promised in 2023 and was launched only this year.
With time, several features have been added to Instagram, perhaps the most significant being Reels. The iPad will open directly to a feed of Reels, which is Meta’s TikTok competitor.
The new app, which runs on iPadOS 15.1 or later, takes up the entire screen while the Stories module remains at the top. There's a new Following tab, and this is a dedicated section to see the latest posts from people you follow.
In the Following tab, there are three columns: All, Friends, and Latest. These show recommended posts and Reels from accounts you follow, Friends is from accounts you follow that follow you back, and Latest is a reverse-chronological feed from those you follow.
In Instagram's messages, there is a two-panel split view that shows the conversation on the right and a list of all people you're chatting with on the left. When it comes to comments on a Reel, they’ll populate alongside the Reel.
Reports of Meta working on an iPad app floated around April, prompted by the legal and political situation TikTok found itself in.
“With Instagram for iPad, we’ve redesigned the experience to reflect how people use bigger screens today — for lean-back entertainment. Now, when you open the app, you’ll drop into Reels, so you can get the entertaining content you love on a bigger screen,” Instagram said in a post.