According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Instagram for iPad is now in active development, with Meta employees already testing the app internally. If everything goes according to plan, a release could happen before the end of the year.
This lines up with what we reported earlier this year, when it became clear that Meta was reconsidering its long-standing resistance to launching Instagram on Apple’s tablets. For years, Instagram head Adam Mosseri had downplayed the need for an iPad version, suggesting the user base wasn’t large enough to justify the effort. That stance seems to be shifting quickly.
One of the reasons for the delay was technical. Instagram was originally built around square images and smaller screens, while the iPad’s larger display posed unique design challenges. There were also concerns that low-resolution content might not scale well to a high-resolution tablet. Gurman notes that improved rendering tools and device capabilities have now made these obstacles easier to overcome.
A concept of what Instagram could have looked like on an iPad back in 2020. | Image credit — Kevin Bhagat
Meta has not made an official announcement yet, and there’s no guarantee the app will be revealed at WWDC. Still, internal testing is a strong indicator that the launch is no longer a question of if, but when.
After more than a decade of waiting, it looks like the iPad is finally getting the Instagram app it deserves. The only real question left is how soon it arrives.
