Instagram gets a new web interface, completely overhauled from the current one

While the smartphone version of Instagram has received many improvements over the years, the web browser interface has remained largely unchanged, with issues such as inefficient use of available space on wide screens and high resolution remaining largely neglected. But as of this week, Instagram’s site is displaying a completely redesigned interface to take advantage of larger screens.

The update was announced by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri. According to him, the new Instagram portal is designed to provide a cleaner, faster and easier-to-use experience. As such, the new UI is better suited for larger screens, displaying more content horizontally.

Menus have been moved to a new sidebar, providing quick access to sections of interest, such as feeds, search, messages, notifications and more. Some of the menus, such as the search menu and notifications list, are displayed on the left side of the web interface, so you can still keep track of what’s in the feed.

At the same time, the sidebar is either widened or narrowed, depending on the width of the window. When you browse through the feed, Instagram Web displays suggestions on the right side of the screen. Overall, the new interface is modern and makes the experience of using Instagram on a computer or tablet much better.

Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t yet offer a similar treatment for tablet users, another category of devices equipped with relatively large screens. So tablet owners have a choice between experiencing the app developed for Android or iOS phones, or accessing the web version directly from the web browser.