Instagram Tests New Vertical Profile Grid
A rectangular format replaces the classic square grid.
Instagram has begun testing a new version of the classic profile grid with a rectangular format replacing the classic square grid. Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, revealed on his Instagram story that the app is testing this new format for a small number of users.
Mosseri explained the reasoning behind the change saying, “Squares are from way back in the day when you can only upload square photos to Instagram… The vast majority of what is uploaded to Instagram today is vertical. It’s either 4 by 3 in a photo or 9 by 16 in a video, and cropping it down to square is pretty brutal.”
The vertical format has already been implemented for the video/reels tab on users’ profiles so the vertical photos will not differ much. Based on a photo posted to Threads, the test profile mimics the vertical video layout very closely. Instagram has been working on this update since 2022 but has now begun to roll it out to more users.
The fate of this new update is up to how users feel about it as Instagram spokesperson Christine Pai said in a statement to The Verge, “We’re testing a vertical profile grid with a small number of people. This is a limited test, and we’ll be listening to feedback from the community before rolling anything out further.”
