Big news:
Instagram has dropped the square image requirement for posts. The photo-centric social media giants announced this groundbreaking change Thursday, its largest change to the platform since its creation.
In their latest iOS and Android update, Instagram has included a new format button where users can post portrait and landscape pictures and videos. The reason for this change? User convenience. More and more users are using third party applications to crop or add padding to images in an effort to fit Instagram’s 1:1 square format. And although the square has provided a clean, seamless, and uniform feed for its users, the square confinement just isn’t cutting it for this generation’s image-sharing trends.
In expanding photo format options outside of the square, users will now have more creative freedom with their images. “You can tell your visual story without having to worry about it fitting perfectly into the app,” says Instagram’s product designer, Christina Choi.
For business owners, not having to deal with that extra step of cropping can definitely be a time saver. Plus, businesses can show even more through their visuals.