Instagram has curated an incredibly active community of photo sharers despite an archaic (by internet standards) limitation that caps image resolution at just 640 x 640 pixels. That seems to be about to change according to a report from the Verge, which indicates that 1080 x 1080 images are on their way.
In an email to the Daily Dot, Instagram verified the resolution upgrade: “We can confirm that we are gradually rolling out 1080 on both iOS and Android. Most people should have it.”
The higher resolution photos aren’t on display yet, but the source code on the recently overhauled Instagram web interface reveals that photos are being uploaded at a improved quality. The photos aren’t simply stretched from their current size to a larger one; they are actually saved at 1080 x 1080 resolution. There are no digital artifacts from scaling.
This could be an indication of an upcoming update that will make the higher resolution images available within Instagram. Uploads from both iOS and Android devices, as well as those uploaded on the web will soon be stored in the higher resolution. You can access these images after uploading them by going to the photo on the web and viewing the source code for the page. (Browsers like Chrome and Firefox allow for you to view this information.) Search for “.jpg” and you will find a URL with the higher resolution image available.
H/T The Verge | Illustration by Jason Reed
