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Is the New Instagram for iPad App Worth Downloading After All This Time?
Instagram has a new application made just for the iPad. For a long time, people who use Instagram, a place to share photos and videos, could only use it on their phones. If you had an iPad, you had to use the small iPhone version of the app, which did not look right on the bigger screen. That has now changed. You can go to the App Store on your iPad and download an official Instagram app that is built for it.
This is a big step because millions of people own iPads and have wanted a proper Instagram experience on their larger screens for years. The new app brings all the main functions you would expect, letting you use Instagram on your tablet in a way that feels more natural than before.
Getting the Instagram App on Your iPad
Finding and installing the new app is simple. You can get it directly from the Apple App Store on your device. It is a free download for all iPad users.
- Open the App Store application on your iPad.
- Tap on the Search tab, which is usually at the bottom right of the screen.
- Type “Instagram” into the search bar at the top and press the search button.
- Look for the official Instagram app in the search results. It will have the familiar camera logo.
- Tap the “Get” button next to the app. You might need to enter your Apple ID password or use Face ID or Touch ID to confirm the download.
- The app will download and install onto your iPad’s Home Screen. Once it is finished, you can tap the icon to open it and log in to your account.
What You Can Do in the App
The iPad app lets you do everything you can do on the phone. The bigger screen of the iPad can make some of these activities easier or more enjoyable. You can look at your feed, post your own content, and talk with friends.
- View Your Feed: You can scroll through photos and videos from the people you follow. Images and videos appear larger on the iPad, which can make them clearer and more detailed.
- Post Photos and Videos: You can upload content directly from your iPad. Editing photos on the larger screen gives you more space to work, which can help with making precise adjustments.
- Create and Edit Reels: The app fully supports Reels. You can watch them, and you can also use the iPad’s screen to edit your own short videos before you post them.
- Use Direct Messages: The messaging feature is included. You can send and receive direct messages, making it easy to chat with friends and family without needing to pick up your phone.
- Explore and Search: The Explore page and search functions are available, so you can find new accounts to follow or look for specific topics and trends.
How the App Looks and Feels
While the app is a welcome addition, it is not perfect in its design. The main issue is how it uses the iPad’s large screen. It often feels like the app is just a bigger version of the iPhone app instead of an app truly designed for a tablet.
When you hold your iPad upright, in portrait mode, the app looks fine. But you will notice empty space on the left and right sides of your feed. It is as if the app is not wide enough to fill the whole screen.
This problem becomes more noticeable when you turn your iPad sideways, into landscape mode. This is the position many people use when their iPad is connected to a keyboard, like the Apple Magic Keyboard. In this view, the empty space on the sides becomes very large. The main content, your feed, sits in a narrow column in the middle. Think of it like watching a phone video on a big TV screen. The video is in the middle, but there are big black bars on the sides. This wasted space can feel awkward and shows that the app was not built to take full advantage of a wide screen.
Tips for a Better Experience
You can make a few changes to improve how you use Instagram on your iPad. These settings can help you see what you want to see and make the experience feel more organized.
Change Your Feed to Chronological
By default, Instagram shows you posts based on what it thinks you want to see. You can change this to see the newest posts first. To do this, tap the Instagram logo at the top-left of your screen and choose “Following.” This will show you a feed with only posts from people you follow, in the order they were posted.
Hide Suggested Posts
Instagram often fills your feed with “Suggested Posts” from accounts you do not follow. If you only want to see content from your friends, you can temporarily hide these suggestions. When you see a suggested post, tap the ‘X’ button to hide it.
Use Split View
The iPad lets you use two apps at once with a feature called Split View. You could have Instagram open on one side of the screen and a web browser or your notes app on the other. This is helpful if you want to look something up while browsing or take notes on a post.
What About Instagram on a Mac?
Now that the iPad has an official app, many people are wondering if a Mac computer will get one too. There is no official Instagram app for Mac desktops or laptops yet. However, there are ways to use Instagram on a Mac that work almost like a dedicated app.
If you have a newer Mac with an Apple Silicon chip (like an M1, M2, or M3), you can run iPad apps directly on your computer. You can go to the Mac App Store, search for Instagram, and download the iPad version. It will run in its own window on your Mac.
For older Macs or for a different approach, you can save the Instagram website as an application in your Dock. Open Safari or Chrome, go to the Instagram website, and look for an option in the menu like “Add to Dock” or “Install App.” This creates a shortcut that opens the website in a clean window, making it feel just like a standalone app.