Instagram update changes account format forever
Instagram surprised with a new profile design (photo: Pexels)
Instagram has updated its profile design, replacing square images in the feed with rectangular ones. The new grid is still in the testing phase, and on January 17, many users in Ukraine noticed the change. The profile now has a similar appearance to the Reels video feed, informs the technology blog Engadget.
Details of the update
Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, announced that the app is testing a vertical grid for user profiles. He explained that the original square grid was designed during a time when users could only upload square photos.
However, those days are long gone, and now most uploads to Instagram are vertical images in 4:3 format and 9:16 videos. He described cropping such uploads into square shapes as “pretty brutal.”
If you open the video tab on Instagram, you already see a rectangular grid, so the new experimental profile design may not seem too unfamiliar.
An Instagram representative confirmed that the test is available to only a small group of users, and the app's team will consider feedback before rolling out the new design more widely.
The test profile looks the same, except the grid now includes photos, not just videos (photo: Threads/ @arlespinzon).
According to an old post by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, the app has been working on the new rectangular grid since 2022.
It seems the test is gradually reaching more users, but not everyone is happy with the changes. Mosseri shared his story in response to a comment left during his "Ask Me Anything" session, requesting not to remove the old grid format.
#Instagram is working on a setting to change the aspect ratio of your profile grid between 4:5 and square format pic.twitter.com/vmr3Xieukk
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) November 15, 2022
Reminder: Zuckerberg announced major changes to Facebook and Instagram related to censorship.
