Instagram is testing a new redesigned profile layout that makes a huge difference to how it appears. Instead of the current profile grid that shows users' photos in a square, some users have reported that posts on their profiles are now placed in vertical rectangles.
While it might not be a huge deal for most users, some people who have planned their profile page around square grids might not like the recent changes. In a statement to The Verge, Instagram spokesperson Christine Pai said that the new vertical profile grid is currently being tested with a small number of people and that the platform will take into consideration user feedback before rolling out any changes.
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New Grid Format Could Be Beneficial For Some Users
Instagram head Adam Mosseri said that the “vast majority of what is uploaded to Instagram today is vertical” and that since most pictures and videos posted on the platform are “either 4 by 3 in a photo or 9 by 16 in a video”, “cropping it down to square is pretty brutal.”
He continued, “Squares are from way back in the day when you could only upload square photos to Instagram,” something which the app removed in 2015 and said that the change might not be appreciated by users who made sure content on their profile page was lined up.
However, the new vertical profile grid layout might be beneficial for users who already recorded most of their content in a vertical format since it will enable them to share posts or reels without having to crop them.
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Instagram Testing Yet Another Snapchat-like Feature
Instagram seems to be testing yet another feature that looks a lot like Snap Maps. This allows the platform to post text and video updates to a map based on where they were taken. The map is shared with friends, whose updates can all appear alongside each other. It is very similar to Snap Maps, which was first launched in 2017.
The difference for now looks to be that Instagram might have much more limited privacy settings. Users have to pick a “specific group of people” to share their location with, such as “Close Friends or only followers they follow back,” Christine Pai, a Meta spokesperson, told The Verge. Snapchat enables public posts to Snap Maps.
Instagram’s feature is currently only available as a “small test” in select markets, Pai said. The tool is opt-in and includes controls over location sharing. “As always, we are building this feature with safety in mind,” Pai said.