A Guide To Instagram’s Latest Updates

It has been a busy time within the social media landscape so we thought we would create a guide to ensure you are up to date with Instagram’s newest updates!

Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, has recently announced a few major changes to the app set to come into existence as we speak.

The three major changes are as follows:

• New grid layout
• ‘Edits’ app
• Extended reels

New Grid Layout:

If you’ve recently looked at your Instagram profile, you may have noticed a shift in the layout. Your grid may have changed from the traditional square formatting to the vertical 4:5 format. This adjustment mirrors Reels and, coincidentally, TikTok. However, Instagram has received backlash from this update and users are not happy with this update. Aesthetic feeds created with the square format in mind are now a thing of the past!

Instagram claimed that it is working on a solution to fix distorted thumbnails based on a square grid to ensure users can go back to their visually pleasing grid layouts.?

The vertical grid change shouldn’t have come as a surprise as it has been coming for some time however Meta seems to have implemented it very quickly and much sooner than users thought. The update is here and it doesn’t look like it is going anywhere therefore it is time to re-align your Instagram grid approach to match the new look.

Edits App:

Amid all the TikTok drama, Instagram has conveniently announced Edits. Edits is a free video editing app which is expected to land in early March. Edits will offer a range of editing features to simplify and support the full creative process ahead of posting on Instagram. Further to this, Edits will provide inspiration to users and insight into trending audios alongside transitions, overlays and greenscreens - sounds familiar right??

The launch of Edits is an effort to capture CapCut users and provide more options for customisation and enhanced editing in regards to Reels. Edits will also allow users to post to other platforms including TikTok and Youtube. Meta saw its opportunity when TikTok temporarily went dark to launch its version of an editing application.?

With the capabilities of providing a more direct way of posting to Reels with a new and expanded toolkit, the new App has already proven to be the go-to app for any social media manager and content creator.

Extended Reels

It’s official, Instagram has extended the duration of Reels to 3 minutes after the limit historically was capped at 90 seconds. This update from Instagram could be deemed as controversial as experts just recently said that longer-form content is negative for performance.

Earlier this year, Youtube announced that they were increasing the length limit of Youtube Shorts to also 3 minutes therefore it could be argued that Instagram are just trying to keep up with their competitors.?

The update is designed to give brands and creators more flexibility and creative freedom for their content or projects as many found the 90-second limit too restrictive. Many will likely welcome this change however it does make us question Instagram’s shifting persona. The shift towards longer-form content could be a plea to navigate a competitive landscape with Shorts and TikTok in the mix.