Meta-owned social networking app Instagram continues to be limited to the iPhone, with no sign of an iPad app on the horizon. That's a major source of frustration for iPad users who prefer to have an app to access the social network, as there isn't a full feature set available on the web.
As of iPadOS 16, some Instagram users who access the iPhone version of the app on their iPad have noticed that it's not working properly on the iPad's display, making it impossible to post stories, see the full content of images, access polls, and more.
MacRumors reader Phil shared images highlighting the issue. On a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, there is no available button to post a story from the app as the interface cuts off at the bottom.
Story text from others is cut off depending on the layout of an image, and there are graphical errors with interactive Instagram post elements like polls and text entry boxes.
There are multiple other complaints on the MacRumors forums and on Reddit about display issues with the Instagram app for iPhone used on an iPad when running iPadOS 16, some that date back to when the software was being beta tested.
Instagram is not having issues on all iPad models, with the problem seemingly limited to the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but it is a frustrating situation for iPad owners who are experiencing issues. Instagram has made it clear that an iPad app is not a priority because there simply aren't enough people who want the feature.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri said earlier this year that there's "not a big enough group of people to be a priority," though he did say that the company hopes to provide an Instagram app at some point. Since the iPad is not a priority, it is not clear if Instagram will fix the display issues that some iPad owners are experiencing with the iPhone app, but it seems to be an optimization that needs to be made on Instagram's end.
There is no solution until Instagram fixes the app, but some users have been able to address the issue by going to Settings > Display > Display & Brightness > Display Zoom and selecting the option for larger text. The web interface is also an alternative, as Instagram can be accessed from any browser.
