Meta Platforms Inc.’s Instagram is testing a major overhaul of its profile page, exploring the possibility of replacing its long-time square layout with vertical, rectangular grids.
A spokesperson for the US photo and video-sharing app, Christine Pai, said the company was conducting a limited trial on the vertical profile appearance with a few selected accounts and will await the community’s reaction before proceeding with any further plans.
The social network’s head, Adam Mosseri, acknowledged on Friday in a story on the platform the challenge of cropping an image or video to fit its traditional square grid layout.
According to him, most photos or videos uploaded to the app today are vertical with a 4:3 and 9:16 aspect ratio, respectively, and adjusting them to a square is “pretty brutal.”
Instagram adopted the square profile appearance when it only supported square images on the platform, although it has dropped the restriction since 2015.
The move also came after the company recently updated its media upload limit in one post to 20 pieces from 10, allowing for more in-depth storytelling.
Instagram to Factor In Feedback from Community
Mosseri expects some users who have aligned their profile grids over the years with the current layout to express dissatisfaction over the significant redesign. Still, he said he looked to “do better by the content today.”
Furthermore, the proposed change may offer some advantages should it become a permanent feature.
Removing the cropping requirement that often reduces a content’s quality and impact could allow users to share their work in their original aspect ratios in photos or reels, enabling a more accurate presentation.
Mobile content on other apps has also conformed to a vertical layout, indicating a growing trend among social media platforms to curate their features further to suit user behavior.
While the vertical grid appearance is only a test, it is potentially a smart move for Instagram to follow the shift in users’ needs and activity on the platform.
The company will also monitor the community’s response to the suggested overhaul, aiming to ensure that any potential changes to the platform would enhance and not disrupt the user experience.
