Meta is preparing to release the native Instagram app for iPad

Last week, Meta released the official WhatsApp app for iPad, ending the fifteen-year wait for users. Now, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company is testing the tablet version of Instagram, which is already being used by employees inside Meta's campus, "at full speed". 

It was reported by 9to5Mac.

Why was the iPad left without Instagram?

In its Power On newsletter, Gurman reports that Meta plans to release a native Instagram app for iPad by the end of 2025, if all goes according to plan. Currently, tablet owners are forced to use a larger version for the iPhone, which has never been adapted for the big screen.

For a long time, the lack of support for the iPad seemed to be a demonstrative "jab" by Mark Zuckerberg at Apple after a series of public disputes. In particular, Apple CEO Tim Cook once commented on the Cambridge Analytica scandal by saying, "I wouldn't be in this situation", which is rumored to have personally hurt Zuckerberg. The tension was exacerbated by the incident with the VPN service Onavo, which caused Meta to lose access to Apple's developer programme for some time.

In addition, the stretched image and lower initial photo resolution made it difficult to use Instagram on the iPad. However, in recent years, Apple's tablets have gained a wider audience, and Instagram itself has evolved into a platform with high-quality content, widescreen video, and long viewership. The competition is also intensified by TikTok, which has long offered a full-fledged iPad client and continues to gain audience.

In such circumstances, Meta has few options left to grow its revenue, so, as with WhatsApp, the launch of Instagram on iPad has turned from a desire to a necessity. If internal tests are successful, tablet owners will get the long-awaited update this year.

As a reminder, Meta, the company behind Instagram, has unveiled the new mobile app Edits, which is positioned as a free alternative to the popular CapCut editor associated with TikTok. The app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play on any mobile platform.

We also wrote that Apple plans to change the numbering system of its mobile operating systems. If the new approach is implemented, in autumn 2025, iOS 18 will be renamed to iOS 26, and subsequent versions will correspond to the last two digits of the calendar year.