Alongside now being able to schedule Instagram posts for up to 90 days, the web version of the app has seen a redesign, with a goal of working better on bigger displays.
Previously, a menu would be found at the top of your web browser, but it would usually be in the way of the content you were looking at, and everything was in a boxed space. Now, every option is found on a sidebar to the left of the screen, and when you select a post it gets enlarged, showcasing itself on your display.
These improvements are slowly rolling out to everyone, and after its downtime earlier this year where a bug was restricting accounts, this is another good start in providing its users with what they actually want, rather than NFT collectibles.
The updated browser version will likely be a boon for desktop social media users. If you're looking for a new monitor for Black Friday 2022 - and you usually have Twitter, Instagram, or even Mastodon open on your PC - there's never been a better time to snap one up, now that Instagram looks much better in a browser than it has before.
Analysis - Instagram on the web and not the iPad, is a good move
🎉 New Features 🎉Some “finally features” that I think you’re going to be excited about… - Schedule Posts (coming soon)- IG Web Updates pic.twitter.com/5tyMxWh1n8November 8, 2022
Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way - there's still no word of a dedicated iPad version of Instagram from CEO Adam Mosseri. However, I agree with this approach.
I've said before how a reboot of the iPad line, both in its hardware and software, is sorely needed, and you can already access Instagram with the iPhone version. It's not optimized for the tablet, but it works. However, the updated web version alleviates this further.
With the new update to the browser version of the app, scrolling through Instagram and creating posts on my M1 iPad Pro (2021) in Safari is now as intuitive as using it on my iPhone.
There used to be a time when you would see an iPhone app first, followed by an iPad app with 'HD' tacked on to the end of the name. Twelve years on since the debut of the iPad, and the constant request from some has been Instagram on iPad - it's time to let those cries rest.
Web browsers have reached a point of flexibility and power where you can now create content with ease - not just consume content as you used to in the late-90s with forums and MSN Messenger chats for example.
Instagram works great on other devices where it's reachable through a bookmark, and on my iPad and MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021), that's good enough for most users, including me.
