Last week, Meta finally released WhatsApp for iPad. It almost took two years for Mark Zuckerberg’s company to finally get it done, but hey, who’s counting? Fortunately, it seems that the plans to launch Instagram for iPad won’t follow the same ridiculously long timeline.
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, “employees on Meta’s campus are actively testing Instagram for the iPad, and that development work is full steam ahead.” The journalist reports that the company aims to release the app “later this year”.
One reason Instagram for iPad has been delayed was a concern about “square images and how they’d look on an iPad.” Now that the technology has “caught up,” Meta doesn’t see a reason to delay launching one of the biggest iPhone apps on Apple’s tablets.
From a user’s point of view, this could be perfect for creators and businesses, as they would have a larger display to ensure their posts look as sharp as possible. Meta has long needed to create a proper Instagram experience for iPads and not force users to depend on a web app.
With WhatsApp, the company was careful enough to create a proper iPad experience, and it seems the same will happen with Instagram.
While Gurman has shared the plan for releasing WhatsApp for iPad and is now focusing on the Instagram app, a report by The Information said the reason behind this work was the potential TikTok ban. Whether or not the Chinese app ends up being pulled from the US again, this feud might be enough to make some users and creators switch (back) to Instagram. Getting a new option, such as Instagram for iPad, might lure more people over.
The Instagram app for iPad could even allow for new formats of content for big screens, such as a push to landscape videos. Recently, Instagram increased the length of reels from 90 seconds to three minutes, and longer videos are usually better suited for landscape.
Fortunately, it seems we won’t have to wait very long for Instagram’s new platform. For all of us iPad users, this is surely going to be a big win.
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