I’m old enough to recall the short-lived era when iPhone photo app wars came down to just two players: Instagram and Hipstamatic. Back then, it was all about which one had the best retro filters—no frills, no extra noise. Then Instagram started piling on social features, and well, we all know how that story went.
In hindsight, that shift was a red flag. Over the years, Instagram has drifted further and further from its photo-focused roots. These days, it’s barely even a top platform for creatives; instead, it’s a full-on, ad-clogged machine that shoves short-form videos in your face—videos that feel less like content and more like brain candy.
I quit using it ages ago, but when I heard Instagram finally launched an iPad app this week, I felt a weird, unexpected twinge of nostalgia for its early glory days. Here’s why: There was a stretch—roughly 2015 to 2018—when Instagram was actually fun. Reels didn’t exist to hoard every last bit of your attention; most of us used the app for its original purpose: keeping up with friends, family, and yeah, maybe the occasional Kardashian post.
Back then, if you wanted to use Instagram on a bigger screen (a huge draw for content creators, who needed more space to edit and share work), your only option was the clunky desktop web version. Users begged for an iPad app for years, but Instagram ignored those requests—until 2024. Funny enough, it’s the same year WhatsApp finally caved and launched its own iPad app, too.
“Today, we’re excited to announce Instagram is coming to iPad,” the company said in its launch statement. “People have asked for this for a while, and we took the time to design an experience that optimizes your favorite parts of Instagram for a bigger screen.”
Their pitch for the app? “We wanted to use the larger display to give people more features with fewer taps, while keeping things simple. You can now see your messages and notifications side-by-side, no more switching tabs. When you watch Reels, you can expand comments without shrinking the video—so you don’t miss a second of the clip or the best reactions.” They call it “the Instagram you love, now with more space to play.”
But here’s the problem: This isn’t the Instagram I loved. It hasn’t been for years. Ever since the platform made its big “pivot to video,” it’s gotten nearly impossible to find posts from the people you actually follow. The app is overrun with ads, and Reels—loud, in-your-face, and often low-quality—dominate every feed. Talk to any creative, and they’ll tell you the same thing: It’s harder than ever for artists to get any real engagement on their work.
So no, I won’t be downloading the Instagram iPad app. These days, you’ll find me on Substack—a platform that’s still focused on quality over clicks, and hasn’t turned into a watered-down version of itself… yet.
