Instagram Rolls Out Rectangular Profile Grid, Increases Reel Period to Three Minutes

Instagram is rolling out a number of profile-based adjustments which may not be as much as customers’ liking. The Meta-owned platform started testing vertical grids on profiles in August 2024, and is now rolling it out to all customers. This will now change the present sq. grids into vertical grids and might probably alter the curated profiles the place customers use a number of grids to determine a particular visible format. Additionally, the platform will enable customers to customize the thumbnails of the publish and reorder their grid. Instagram can be rising the utmost length of Reels from 90 seconds to a few minutes.

In a publish, Instagram head Adam Mosseri introduced that vertical grids for profiles are rolling out to all customers this week, changing the 1:1 facet ratio with a 4:3 ratio. However, acknowledging that the suggestions on the change was “both positive and quite negative”, he additionally detailed a number of new profile-based options that may assist customers higher modify to this variation.

New profile adjustments coming to Instagram
Photo Credit: Instagram

“Most photos and videos that are uploaded to Instagram at this point are vertical, and rectangles do a better job showing off those photos and videos.” He added that the brand new format may even create a “simpler, cleaner place,” Mosseri defined.

Several customers commented on the publish, criticising the transfer. Punktmidi, a creator on the platform mentioned, “You destroyed millions of well curated 1:1 grids.” Another consumer, @matilde.alcini, urged Mosseri to “just let people choose if they want squares or rectangles on the grid.”

In the publish, Mosseri mentioned that future variations of profiles will enable customers to higher modify to the change and nonetheless aesthetically prepare the profile grids. Instagram is engaged on bettering the flexibility to customize publish thumbnails, permitting customers higher management over what the profile view exhibits.

Instagram can be planning to maneuver Story Highlights to the grid, giving it a devoted tab. Highlights will be seen between the bio and the grid in round icons. Mosseri known as the present association “visually complicated” and that they push the grid down. Finally, the platform can be engaged on a characteristic to let customers re-order their grid and publish on to the grid (these posts won’t present up on the feed).

“This plan might change as we iterate over the next couple months, but I’m hoping sharing our intentions early will help avoid any more harsh surprises,” Mosseri added.

Instagram Reels Increased to Three Minutes

Mosseri additionally introduced that customers can now add Reels as much as three minutes lengthy. Earlier, the platform solely allowed customers to add a most of 90-second-long Reels. This change now brings the Meta-owned app on par with different vertical video-focused platforms reminiscent of TikTok and YouTube.

TikTok launched three-minute-long movies in July 2021, and YouTube elevated the length of Shorts in October 2024. Gadgets 360 was unable to substantiate that three-minute Reel uploads have been out there on Android and iOS, on the time of publishing this story.