FINALLY Instagram Lets You Zoom In On Photos and Videos

Instagram has been undergoing series of changes aimed at giving its users the best photo-sharing experience.

A few weeks ago Instagram launched a new feature; the Instagram stories, which lets users share a series of moments and then customise them with text, drawings and emoji icons. The posts then disappear after 24 hours. The latest addition to the picture sharing social network lets users zoom in on Instagram photos (and videos).

Instagram is set to launch a new feature on iOS today. Android users will have to wait a while longer; zoom will arrive for team Google “in the coming weeks.” No word on Windows support though. It uses a simple pinch gesture, as you would expect, and works with video as well. It covers content on your feed, profiles and in Explore.

Today we’re bringing ZOOM to Instagram on iOS! Pinch to zoom on photos & videos in feed, on profiles and on Explore pic.twitter.com/j1g4JQozK2

— Instagram (@instagram) 31 August 2016

With this latest development, Instagram is finally shaping up as a platform for more serious photographers rather than just social media mavens. Phone cameras are getting ever better and more photographers sharing their professional images on Instagram, making this a much appreciated change.

Previously, multiple aspect ratios helped users share images as they were meant to be viewed and opened up some creative opportunities, now with the zoom feature, users can hone in on the details. Smartphones have evolved over the years; we now have 4K displays and QHD on our smartphones, Instagram should now focus on improving its maximum width of 1080 pixels.

Instagram has always been more about sharing those precious moments rather than a purely aesthetic or technical appreciation of photography; that’s probably why the company never implemented zoom in the first place. In any case, it’s nice to see arguably the most basic of photo browsing features show up in Instagram, six years after it launched. Head on over to the iOS app store to try it out.

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