After Years of Demands, Instagram Finally Releases iPad App

After years of waiting, Meta has finally released an official Instagram app for the iPad. The app is specially optimized for iPados and focuses on reels. But why did it take so long?

Instagram finally conquers the iPad

Instagram has finally started an official app for the iPad and ends the long time waiting for a dedicated tablet version. The Instagram app for that iPad is now available in the App Store And can be used on iPads that support iPados 15.1 and newer. What had almost become a running gag in the community is now taking shape.

For years, users have been calling for an adapted app for the large screen – now Meta fulfills this wish. According to META, the app was specially adapted to the possibilities of iPados and is intended to offer an optimized user experience on the tablet.

Reels are the focus of the new app

Instagram for iPad focuses on reels, and when the app is opened, it will go directly to the reels side. This decision reflects how people today use larger screens – mainly for relaxed entertainment. Stories will be available at the top of the user interface, with support for messages.

A new feature is the “episode” tab, which offers different filter options. “Everyone” shows recommended posts and reels of accounts that they follow, while “friends” show recommended posts from accounts to which they follow and that follow them. The “Latest” option shows chronological posts and reels from accounts that they follow.

Optimized for the big display

Instagram for iPad was developed to use a larger display area and offer access to more functions with fewer taps. Instagram explains that people can call up news and notifications via layouts that show both tabs at the same time, and when re -watching reels, they can expand the comments while the reel remains in full size.

This includes supporting the multitasking and window system in iPados. Users can use Instagram in parallel in several windows. A full-screen mode is available both in portrait format and in landscape format. If you use the Magic keyboard or a trackpad, you can easily control the app. Apple Pencil is also supported.

Long waiting time has an end

The development of an iPad app was a sensitive topic on Instagram for a long time. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri had always rejected the development of an iPad app. The community had been waiting for a dedicated tablet version for years before Meta finally made the decision to develop an optimized app.

The story of Instagram

• 2010 October Start of the Instagram app

• 2012 April Facebook takeover of Instagram for $ 1 billion

• 2016 August Introduction of Instagram Stories

• June 2020 Introduction of Instagram Reels

• 2025 September official iPad app is published

Instagram for the iPad is now available in the App Store. The download is possible for all models from Ipados 15.1. The app is free and is rolled out worldwide. Meta also announced that the new tablet design will soon be available for Android.