Join us Sept. 14-16 in Miami to connect with top publishing leaders
Those sunset photos uploaded to Instagram will finally look as breath-taking as the caption claims they are. The photo-fawning app said yesterday it’s upgrading the resolution it stores pictures within the app from 640 x 640 pixels to the high definition resolution of 1080 x 1080.
It’s a welcome change for a few reasons. First, Instagram is finally realizing that its users snap photos with higher quality cameras that come standard on new phones, like the iPhone 6 Plus. Also, screen resolutions have dramatically improved, so making the picture quality correspond to that makes sense.
Larger images are also good business for third party printing services like Instaprint or Shutterfly because shopper’s photos will finally look decent stretched out on a canvas.
Instagram confirmed the change to the Verge, who first broke the story. A spokesperson told the website that 1080 resolution pictures are “gradually rolling out” to iOS and Android apps last week. People will only see the better quality photos on the app as Instagram has “no plans to share on web.”
Photo via Flickr
More in Media
What’s in and out for creators heading into Q4
A look at the creator economy trends heading in to Q4 2026, from clipping to creators in the C-suite, diversification and regulation.
Google divestiture is dead — and publishers are fine with that
Publishers didn’t get a Google AdX breakup; they got behavioral remedies, promised transparency and a new reminder that Google’s real power lies in controlling demand, not pipes.
Marketers say usage rights are driving up the price to work with creators
Creator pricing’s biggest hurdle are usage rights, which can create confusion and frustration on every side of the negotiation table.