Instagram Is About to Ruin Your Perfect Grid

Instagram Is About to Ruin Your Perfect Grid

Instagram is planning a change that is going to upset a lot of people. If you are one of those who likes to keep all your images in order and make use of the 3 x 3 grid, prepare for a storm that may stir your account's realĀ estate.

It's not a mass-update yet, but some users already saw it: the grid size changes! It's not going to be a three-column grid forever. Some have woken up to see four columns in their grids. If your Instagram wall is a carefully designed display of tile-art where every image is in color- and content-relation to the adjacent one, your artwork is in danger of being vandalized by that update. For people who use the social network for their business, this can cause a lot of confusion among current and potential customers.

Why is Instagram making this change? For some, the reason is to catch up with the ever-growing size of smartphone screens. Does Instagram know there are users who arrange their images based on the classic three-column grid? Are they prepared for an angry storm of comments? Probably. How will they handle that situation? We still don't know, but they must have a Plan B in their pocket. Maybe there will be a grid size setting in your account? For now, we can only guess.

Is your account already switched to the new grid? Did your perfect grid get rearranged?

[via TheRinger]

Tihomir Lazarov's picture

Tihomir Lazarov is a commercial portrait photographer and filmmaker based in Sofia, Bulgaria. He is the best photographer and filmmaker in his house, and thinks the best tool of a visual artist is not in their gear bag but between their ears.

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17 Comments

Hmmm. Mine is three across when viewed in a browser, but the Android app shows it four across. So I could never really do one of those fancy tile images. Oh well. Free apps are free and you often get what you pay for.

Interesting. I thought the 4-column view is populated across all platforms.

So, I searched on a hashtag only I use and it came up three across on my Android app. But four across when I searched for Tihomir Lazarov. Just to check, I searched on one of your hashtags and it came up three across.

In all cases (iOS, Android, Windows) I see only 3C. Hope they'll make it a choice... 2/3/4 ?

I also think that's the best way they can make the upgrade painless.

I don't understand their switch algorithm yet. I see your account with a 3-column grid both on Android and in the browser. I tried a search for a hashtag of yours. Three columns view only.

Just make a 4 across image saying something like, Instagram upgraded their APP from 3 to 4 blah, blah, blah. Something along those lines. Than you'll have a new starting point.

We like all things disguised. Sneaky we are.

#3x3gridlivesmatter

I see those worldwide street protests already.

Lol! Gotta get it trending

last week my Instagram feed becomes like you've said. I was ranting non stop for 2-3 days. Then, out of nowhere, it change back to a 3x3 grid. I don't actually understand how or why. but I do hope Instagram keep to the 3x3 feed.

They are probably testing and probably looking for angry postings on twitter/facebook/instagram. In my opinion it has to be an option in the account's settings.

What an Earth shattering evolution in photography. Now people are going to have to come up with 4 good shots from every shoot.

This is like someone giving driving directions based on what billboards are down the route, relying on the fact the billboards will never change. Not only that, but a brochure with these directions is printed and given out.

Never seemed like a good (business/art) strategy to me to depend on an app's grid size.

Unless it's your own.