Instagram announced the update in a blog post today. Screenshots of the new interface first appeared online a couple of weeks ago. The Facebook-owned company has now confirmed it will be rolling out to all users today.
The first change you’ll notice with the new app is the reworked icon. It is based on the old one but now features a simpler camera and a vivid background image. Instagram has chosen a bright gradient fill that resembles many of the sunset photos to be found on its platform.
Beyond the icon, the app’s main interface has received a substantial design refresh. The old dark blue navigation bar is out, replaced by monochrome icons. The orange notification indicators have also been changed and now light up with a bright pink background colour.
Instagram said it has designed the new app to “put more focus on your photos and videos without changing how you navigate the app.” The new interface and icon also reflects Instagram’s new ambition to be more than just a photo-sharing platform, a design that is indicative of how “vibrant and diverse your storytelling has become.”
“The Instagram community has evolved over the past five years from a place to share filtered photos to so much more – a global community of interests sharing more than 80 million photos and videos every day,” said Instagram. “Our updated look reflects how vibrant and diverse your storytelling has become. Thank you for giving this community its life and color. You make Instagram a place to discover the wonder in the world.”
The update is Instagram’s only major interface change in several years. The company adopted the current “flat” design trend after most other companies. It hasn’t substantially changed the feel of its app since introducing the outgoing design in 2014.
Instagram is developing more changes as it transitions from a photo-sharing platform to a full-blown social network. An algorithmically sorted photo feed is in the works, to the annoyance of many users, as the company seeks to increase user engagement and make more revenue from sponsors and advertising.
400 million people upload photos to Instagram per month, accumulating 3.5 billion likes per day. The platform has acquired a valuable audience for marketers to tap into. Instagram now needs to stay on top of its growth, evolving its outreach by embracing current trends.
The new design will help with this, demonstrating Instagram is a modern platform that recognises how its users interact with its app. The company tested over 300 icons before deciding on the current version in late November last year. The new app design is rolling out today on iOS and Android. There’s no word yet on when the recently launched Windows 10 Mobile version will see the update.
