Instagram releases long-awaited iPad app after 15 years
In 2010, Steve Jobs got on stage to reveal the original iPad, the device that promised the "internet in your hands;" and yet for 15 years, Meta has resisted the temptation to have a native app for Instagram on the device.
That finally changes now with the launch of a native big-screen experience for Instagram on Apple's tablet. "It's finally here!" says the press release, and they certainly took their time.
The new app puts Reels front and center, making it the "primary way people discover and share entertaining content." When you open the app, you are dropped straight into Reels, with Stories arranged on top. The menu has been moved to the left, allowing you to quickly jump around the interface with a few taps.
There is a new Following tab that divides the accounts you follow on the platform into three categories: All, Friends, and Latest. All shows you posts and reels from all accounts you follow, Friends filters these posts to show you content from accounts that follow you back, and Latest chronologically arranges them in the order of the most recent posts.
The new interface has been designed to make it "easier to catch up on your messages and notifications with layouts that display both tabs." For example, while watching Reels, the comments will be displayed on the side without resizing the video. The redesigned app is being rolled out to users worldwide on Apple's App Store.
This is the second prominent Meta app to get the big screen treatment after WhatsApp, which launched for the iPad a few months ago.
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