INSTAGRAM is launching a brand new app that fans have been waiting 15 years for.
The new app is rolling out right now and should be available to download on your devices from today.
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After a lengthy wait, Instagram has finally launched an app for the iPad.
Long-time Instagram users have been waiting an age for the app.
Instagram first launched in late 2010, just a few months after the original Apple iPad came out.
But Instagram has only been available on iPhone, with iPad users forced to use a scaled-up version of the regular mobile app that looks a bit rubbish.
Now there’s a native app coming to the iPad that’ll let you use Instagram properly.
“Instagram is finally bringing Instagram to iPad,” Meta, which owns Instagram, said.
“Gone are the days of zooming in. Now you can experience the Instagram you love, designed for a bigger screen.
“People will be able to lean back and watch Reels, create content, and connect with friends.”
Instagram says that it will support Reels, DMs and Stories, just like the regular version of the app.
There’s a new Following tab for seeing the latest content from people you actually follow.
Plus you can view it as All, or limit it to Friends – so people that follow you back.
And there’s also a Latest option that puts the most recent posts first.
There’s also a redesigned Instagram messaging interface that lets you view your inbox while typing in a thread at the same time.
And Instagram says that you can expand the comments while you’re watching a Reel.
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That way, you can read reactions to a video without missing the clip itself.
Rumours of the Instagram iPad app were swirling earlier this year when a report said that it was in the works.
Instagram previously poured cold water on the possibility of an iPad app, saying it wasn’t a top priority.
In 2020, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri said: “We’d like to build an iPad app, but we only have so many people and lots to do.
HISTORY OF THE IPAD – WHEN DID THEY COME OUT?
Here’s a quick trip down release date memory lane…
iPad
- 1st gen – April 3, 2010
- 2nd gen – March 11, 2011
- 3rd gen – March 16, 2012
- 4th gen – November 2, 2012
- 5th gen – March 24, 2017
- 6th gen – March 27, 2018
- 7th gen – September 25, 2019
- 8th gen – September 18, 2020
- 9th gen – September 24, 2021
- 10th gen – October 26, 2022
- 11th gen – March 12, 2025
iPad Mini
- 1st gen – November 2, 2012
- 2nd gen – November 12, 2013
- 3rd gen – October 22, 2014
- 4th gen – September 9, 2015
- 5th gen – March 18, 2019
- 6th gen – September 24, 2021
- 7th gen – October 23, 2024
iPad Air
- 1st gen – November 1, 2013
- 2nd gen – October 22, 2014
- 3rd gen – March 18, 2019
- 4th gen – October 23, 2020
- 5th gen – March 18, 2022
- 6th gen – May 15, 2024
- 7th gen – March 12, 2025
iPad Pro
- 1st gen 12.9 inch – November 11, 2025
- 1st gen 9.7 inch – March 31, 2016
- 2nd gen – June 13, 2017
- 3rd gen – November 7, 2018
- 4th gen – March 25, 2020
- 5th gen – May 21, 2021
- 6th gen – October 26, 2022
- 7th gen – May 15, 2024
Picture Credit: Apple
“And it hasn’t bubbled up as the next best thing to do yet.”
In 2021, he added: “I spent a bit of time on an iPad because I was on a flight, but still no iPad app for Instagram.
“It would be nice to do, but there’s a lot to do and only so many people, so it hasn’t made the cut.”
He talked about it again in 2022, saying: “We get this one a lot. It’s still just not a big enough group of people to be a priority.
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“Hoping to get to it at some point, but right now we’re very heads down on other things.
“I call these ‘finally features‘. Things like supporting dark mode, scheduled posts, an iPad app, deleting on photo from a carousel, etc.”
In 2023, he confirmed that Instagram was “not working on it right now” but noted that it would be “a good thing to have at some point”.
But now it’s finally official, giving the Instagram fans what they’ve been asking for.
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The new app is available globally starting from today.
Just download the app on your iPad or update the old mobile version if you already had it, and the full version should appear.
