Instagram has been lacking a user interface (UI) designed for tablets and larger screens for a considerable amount of time.
In this regard, an updated UI for larger screens has been gradually introduced to Instagram for Android.
This new interface is optimized to make better use of the additional screen space available on foldable devices and tablets.
In this revamped layout, Stories remain positioned at the top of the UI, while the feed expands to both sides of the screen.
Notably, Reels now maintain a consistent aspect ratio, surrounded by black bars for padding. The most significant change is the adoption of a side-mounted navigation rail.
Navigation buttons for functions such as home, search, creating a new post, accessing Reels, and viewing one’s profile are located at the bottom of the screen. With the new sidebar UI, notifications and direct messages (DMs) are added to this list.
Users have reported that this updated appearance is notably more appealing on devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 5, part of Samsung’s Fold series. However, the rollout of this update is progressing at a relatively slow pace.
It was initially observed shortly after the announcement of Samsung’s Fold 5, but it appears to be spreading to individual accounts incrementally.
It’s worth noting that this new UI seems to be exclusive to the Galaxy Z Fold series and is not visible on other devices like Google’s Pixel Fold.
Fortunately, it appears that this new UI is not limited solely to the Fold 5 model.
