The Instagram iPad app continues to be a unicorn none of us will ever see.
As reported by The Verge, a number of users on Instagram have noticed a new experience when using Instagram on the web. According to those users, the web app has been updated from being a blown-up version of the iPhone app into a proper web experience for the desktop.
Right now, only a small number of users have noticed the new experience. This is likely due to Instagram rolling out the new experience over time as well as the fact that most people just use the Instagram app on their phone rather than even coming across the web app.
What does the new web app look like?
As you can see in the screenshot below, instead of a bigger version of the iPhone or Android app, the new web app features a left-side navigation menu, something more appropriate for using the service in the browser.
The update appears to go further than just the menu. The company appears to have also improved the video experience as well as direct messages. In a statement to The Verge, Meta spokesperson Christine Pai said that "we are always working on ways to improve the Instagram.com web experience for people. We recently made updates to modernize Instagram.com, including improving the navigation, optimizing the video experience, and introducing a more immersive way to DM.”
While it's great to see Instagram continue to improve the web experience for users, we're now over a decade without an iPad app (or tablet app in general). The company has said pretty clearly that it has no intention to ever make an iPad app which, in 2022, seems odd. Instagram may soon stand alone as the only major social media platform that does not have a dedicated app for tablets.
You can use the iPhone app in Stage Manager on your iPad, though!
