Instagram is making its web app better instead of releasing an iPad app

For anyone who has prayed for years for an iPad app for Instagram, today is just another day of pain.

As reported by The Verge, a number of Instagram users have started to notice that they are seeing a completely new experience when using the service on the web. Instead of a blown-up version of the iPhone app, the company is bringing sweeping changes to the web app so it’s actually, finally, optimized for using the service on the desktop.

Meta spokesperson Christine Pai says that the overall is not a test and includes “improving the navigation, optimizing the video experience, and introducing a more immersive way to DM.”

We are always working on ways to improve the Instagram.com web experience for people. We recently made updates to modernize Instagram.com, including improving the navigation, optimizing the video experience, and introducing a more immersive way to DM.

Christine Pai

Those who have gotten the new experience point out that the menu has been moved to a left-sided navigation and that the DM experience is better suited for the web. Instagram is certainly taking some notes from Twitter and Facebook in its adaption of the experience to the web.

The company, unfortunately, but not surprisingly, did not make any mention of plans to release a dedicated app for tablets. So, if you’re still waiting for that iPad app, you’ll at least have a better experience using the service through a browser on the tablet.

People have been asking for an iPad app for Instagram since, well since the iPad and Instagram existed. The company has stuck by its guns, however, and continues to say that it has no plans to make such an app. It’s a truly odd position by the company as, in comparison to almost every other major social media company, Instagram is one of the only ones that does not have an app dedicated to tablets.