It is true that Instagram is one of those applications designed to be used mainly on the phone, but given the resources that the company has, it is surprising that they do not develop with the idea of ​​improving the experience on other devices. Luckily now it comes a new way to view Instagram stories on your computer And they make up for the rest a bit.
Instagram stories on big screens
El instagram story format It is something already known to all. When the company introduced them, it copied exactly the way Snapchat displayed these small, short video clips or photos: a portrait format view to make the most of the mobile phone screen, and the way they're typically held.
However, what is optimal in a device like the smartphone turns out to be the opposite in others where the dimensions and orientation of the screen change. We refer to the use of Instagram on a device such as a computer or a tablet. There, for these types of screens with a 16: 9 aspect ratio or similar, the viewing experience has never been optimal.
Now Instagram decides to compensate a bit for the lack of interest that it has shown regarding the use of the platform on devices other than mobile and does so with a new way of viewing stories on the computer.
Although it is true that it is not a radical change, now when you view stories on the desktop version of Instagram you feel that all the space available on the screen is used much more through a carousel view.
Thus, as you can see in the image, in the center will continue to be the history of the profile that has been selected and on the sides those of the rest that you have already seen or that you will see once they finish or skip the ones that you are seeing in this precise instant.
In addition to all this, this new carousel view has also added new additional controls and an improvement in the visualization of the existing ones to make interaction much easier. They are small changes, which surely have not cost them a huge job, but they provide a notable improvement when using the platform through a web browser on a desktop system.
How to access the new Instagram stories view on PC
To be able to access this new carousel that shows Instagram stories on the web or desktop version of the platform, you don't have to do anything strange. Just access the Instagram page and once inside, click on the icons of the stories of the profiles you use. When you do, you will see that the view automatically changes and shows this new carousel.
If you want to enjoy the most, it is best to use the browser in full screen mode. Now it will occupy your entire desktop and you will be able to see in greater detail and without "less" distractions the stories published by the accounts you follow. Besides, with the arrow keys of the keyboard you can move between the stories. When you get to the last one that publishes a profile, if you hit the right arrow again you will jump to the first one of the next one myself, on the contrary, with the left arrow you go back until you can reach those of other profiles already seen.
What you can and cannot do on Instagram from the PC
With this, you are probably wondering what you can and cannot do through the web version of Instagram. So here's a quick summary:
What you can do on Instagram from your computer
- Consult your feed with all the publications of the profiles you follow and your own
- Play posts in video format
- Like other people's posts
- Comment on any post
- Save posts to your own collections
- Search by users, tags or locations
- Access the Discover section
- View interactions with other users
- Access your profile and edit it
- Manage the accounts you want to follow or stop doing
- Access to your account settings
What you can't do on Instagram from your computer
- Publish new content such as photos or videos (or almost)
- Delete or archive posts from your profile
- Complete configuration of all settings available from the mobile app for iOS or Android
As you can see, the most interesting thing that would be to be able to publish from the computer is not available. It is true that there is a little trick that consists of making the platform you are accessing from a mobile browser create and yes you could. Here we explain how to post on Instagram from your computer, but the ideal would be an official solution.
Mac users are still a bit closer, because new M1 chip-based Macs like the Mac mini can now run native iPhone apps. So it would only be enough for the company to adapt it to allow its use. But there is nothing confirmed that it will happen, so we will have to continue waiting.