From Long-Awaited iPad App to Fast Reversal
After more than a decade with no native tablet experience, Instagram finally launched an iPad app late last year with a bold twist: a Reels-first layout. Instead of mirroring the familiar iPhone interface, the app opened directly into full-screen short videos on the Home feed, signaling that Reels—not the traditional photo feed—were the primary attraction. Instagram framed this Instagram iPad app redesign as a response to how people use larger screens for “lean back entertainment” and to the fact that Reels have become the main discovery surface on the platform. Yet only months later, Instagram is rolling back that decision. The company is now shifting away from the Reels-first layout in favor of an experience that looks and behaves much more like the standard phone app, indicating that the experiment did not land as intended with tablet users.
What the New iPad Experience Looks Like Now
With the latest update, Instagram is returning key pieces of the classic interface to its tablet app. Instead of launching straight into Reels, the app now opens to the regular Home feed, showing posts from followed accounts alongside suggested content—much closer to what users expect. Reels are no longer the default view but have moved back into their own dedicated tab, mirroring the familiar iPhone layout. Instagram is also removing the extra “Following” tab that duplicated functionality already available elsewhere, reducing friction and confusion. At the same time, the company is keeping tablet-specific enhancements: users can still scroll comments while watching Reels, and see their DM inbox alongside an open conversation. The result is a hybrid: a more recognizable Instagram experience on tablets, but with interface tweaks that still acknowledge the larger screen and the lean-back usage pattern.
Why Instagram Backtracked: User Feedback vs. Engagement Goals
Instagram’s quick Reels-first layout reversal on iPad shows what happens when engagement goals clash with user expectations. Strategically, pushing Reels to the front made sense: short-form video is where Instagram sees growth and discovery, and giving it prime real estate on a big screen should, in theory, increase watch time and ad inventory. But users made it clear—through Instagram user feedback on platforms like Reddit—that they primarily wanted the tablet app to feel like Instagram, not like a video-first entertainment portal. The unfamiliar default view and redundant “Following” tab added cognitive load instead of delight. By walking back the design within months, Instagram is effectively admitting that an aggressive engagement-first approach can undermine perceived usability and loyalty. When users feel an app is optimised for the metric rather than for them, even powerful features like Reels can start to feel like friction, not value.
Lessons for Tablet App Design and Product Strategy
The Instagram iPad app redesign saga offers a few broader lessons for tablet app design. First, familiarity is a feature: when users adopt an app on a new device, they often want continuity before experimentation. Instagram tried to leapfrog straight into a TV-like, lean-back Reels hub, but underestimated how much the core feed defines the brand’s identity. Second, platform conventions still matter. On phones, Reels lives in a dedicated tab, so making it the default on tablets felt inconsistent and, to many, intrusive. Third, listening loops need to be fast. Instagram moved from launch to rollback in just a few months—an implicit acknowledgment that external signals, from app reviews to community forums, can and should shape roadmap decisions. For other products, the takeaway is clear: aggressively prioritizing a single engagement surface must be balanced against the holistic experience users actually come for.