Instagram Finally Eyes iPad: The Delayed Journey to a More Visual Experience

Instagram to Launch Native iPad App After 15 Years

Instagram, a flagship visual social media platform owned by Meta, is reportedly developing a native app for iPad. This move comes as part of its broader strategy to compete with TikTok, including recent updates that resemble TikTok's user interface and the introduction of Edits, a video-editing tool.

Background

• Instagram on iPad: Despite having one of the best screens for photos, Instagram has only offered an iPhone app resized for the iPad, which is suboptimal. An Android tablet version launched in 2023 but faced challenges due to the diverse and fragmented nature of Android devices.
• User Demand: The iPad market is significantly larger than that of Android tablets, yet Meta's CEO, Adam Mosseri, previously cited lack of priority due to a perceived smaller user base on iPads.

Development and Strategy

• Competition with TikTok: Instagram has been actively promoting itself as an alternative to TikTok among creators. The February 2025 update included features similar to TikTok's design, aiming to attract and retain creator content.
• Edits App: Introduced in the same update, Edits serves as a replacement for CapCut, which faces threats of being shut down, mirroring challenges faced by TikTok.

Future Outlook

• User Experience: A native iPad app will enhance Instagram's visual appeal and usability on the larger screen, aligning with its core focus on visual content.
• Engineering Effort: Meta engineers might be motivated by the challenge of developing for a new platform, moving beyond the repetitive bug fixes typical in mobile app development.