Instagram will test a vertical profile grid

 Several users recently discovered this test, and there have been signs since at least 2022 that the company was considering a rectangular grid.

"The majority of content uploaded to Instagram today is vertical," Instagram head Mosseri said in an Instagram story on Friday when discussing the test. 'It could be 4:3 in photos or 9:16 in video, and cropping down to square can be uncomfortable for many users.'

Mosseri notes that 'square is from the past when you could only upload square photos on Instagram,' a restriction that Instagram removed in 2015. He also understands that this change may be frustrating for those who who spent a lot of time "selecting and making sure everything lined up," but Mosseri also said that "I really want to do better with today's content."

'We're testing a vertical profile grid with a small number of users,' Instagram chief communications officer Christine Pai said in a statement to The Verge. 'This is a limited test, and we will listen to feedback from the community before rolling out further.'

However, if you've carefully arranged your profile grid based on squares, you should probably be prepared for those squares to soon change to rectangles.

Below is a transcript of Mosseri's story:

"We're actually testing vertical grid browsing, for those who haven't seen it, for your profile instead of squares. Squares are now what they were before you could only upload square photos on Instagram. I know this might annoy some Instagrammers who spend a lot of time sifting through and making sure everything lines up, but I really want to do better with daily content. The majority of content uploaded to Instagram today is vertical. It can be 4:3 in photos or 9:16 in video, and cropping it down to a square can be confusing. uncomfortable to use. So I hope we can find a way to manage this transition."

Marvin Fry

Update 19 August 2024