Instagram is changing the way its web app looks; something it should have done long ago

Instagram is updating its web platform from  a carbon clone of the app to one that is “cleaner, faster, and easier to use.”

The Platform’s head, Adam Mosseri made this announcement through a post on Tuesday along with a feature that enables professional accounts to schedule their posts, which is currently in Beta testing.

The new layout places frequently used options such as “home,” “search,” “messages,” and “notifications” in a scrollable sidebar. The search/explore page also features a full-screen grid. The new sidebar is expected to extend or contract depending on the size of the user’s screen.

When you opened a profile with the former design of the web app, features like Posts, Guides, Reels, and Tagged were presented on top of the grid. As a result, users had to scroll up from there in order to access the tab menu and select a new tab.

The revised layout removes this inconvenience by placing the toggles to the side.

This revamp, which is being sent out to users gradually, will make Instagram more convenient to use on wide monitors with multiple tabs open at once.

Mosseri says that users will now be able to schedule a post as far out as 75 days and, of course, edit that schedule or post before it goes live. That’s a big win for users of the platform as it has been behind other services like Twitter which launched scheduled posts years ago.

Both of the changes to Instagram are starting to roll out today. If you don’t see the features showing up just yet, keep checking for an update through the App Store or website. You can watch Mosseri’s video announcing the new features below;

Recently, Instagram said it is introducing a feature that allows for creators to make their own NFTs (or digital collectibles) and sell them to fans and collectors.

Though, the test is strictly for a “small group of creators in the US”, the company hopes to invite more testers in other countries in the near future.