Instagram is testing a new redesigned profile layout that makes a huge difference to how it looks. Instead of the current profile grid that shows your photos in a square, some users are reporting that posts on their profile are now placed in vertical rectangles. While this may not be a huge deal for most people, some users who have planned their profile page around square grids may not change the recent changes. In a statement to The Verge, Instagram spokesperson Christine Pai said that the new vertical profile grid is currently being tested with a small number of people and that the platform will take into consideration user feedback before rolling out any changes. In an story discussing the change, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said that the “vast majority of what is uploaded to Instagram today is vertical” and that since most pictures and videos posted on the platform is “either 4 by 3 in a photo or 9 by 16 in a video”, “cropping it down to square is pretty brutal.” He went on to say that “squares are from way back in the day when you can only upload square photos to Instagram,” something which the platform discontinued back in 2015 and said that the change might be disliked by users who made sure content on their profile page was lined up. However, the new vertical profile grid layout may be beneficial for users who already recorded most of their content in a vertical format since it will allow them to share posts or reels without having to crop them. Last week, Instagram was spotted testing a new feature that would help users keep their friends updated on their location, which works similar to Snapchat’s Snap Map functionality.
