Instagram launches iPad app with main focus on Reels: Features, download details and more

Instagram app

It’s finally happening. After 15 years of requests, complaints, and endless memes about why Instagram never cared for the iPad, the app has officially arrived on Apple’s tablet.

For years, iPad users either had to put up with a blown-up version of the iPhone app or rely on Safari to scroll through their feeds. Not exactly the slick Instagram experience we’re used to. Now, Meta says it has taken its time to design something that feels at home on a bigger screen—and it’s clearly betting big on entertainment.

Open the new Instagram for iPad, and the first thing you’ll see is Reels. That’s not a bug, it’s the point. Meta knows most people use tablets to sit back and watch, so the app puts short-form videos front and center. Stories are still there, lined up neatly at the top, and messages are just a tap away.

One of the biggest changes is a new Following tab built specifically for iPad users. It’s split into three sections:

-All: Posts and Reels from every account you follow
-Friends: Content only from people who also follow you back
-Latest: A chronological feed for those who miss the old-school Instagram

This way, you get more control over what shows up first when you log in.

Instagram has also rethought layouts to make the most of the iPad’s extra space. Messages and notifications can be viewed side by side, saving you the constant back-and-forth of smaller screens. Watching Reels is smoother too—you can now expand the comments without shrinking the video, so reactions don’t interrupt your viewing.

The app is available globally starting today for iPads running iPadOS 15.1 or later, and yes, it’s free on the App Store. Android tablets are next in line, though Meta hasn’t given a specific date.

It may have taken more than a decade, but Instagram’s tablet debut signals a shift: the platform isn’t just about quick scrolls on your phone anymore. With Reels dominating attention spans, Instagram clearly wants to carve out a space in your living room too—right next to Netflix and YouTube.

For iPad users, that means no more workarounds. Just a bigger, cleaner, and finally official way to double-tap, swipe, and binge Reels.