No more squinting – Instagram now lets you pinch to zoom

Instagram has announced a new feature that’s easy on the eyes.

Everyone who uses Instagram has found themselves in the interesting predicament of stopping to look at a photo and straining to see some odd object in the background or maybe a mark on someone’s face. The same thing goes for videos. The team behind Facebook-owned Instagram probably noticed users across the world squinting at their phones, because it has just done something to alleviate their woes. 

The company has developed a pinch-to-zoom feature for both photos and videos. It will be available across the entire iOS app, meaning it will work on media not only in your feed but also on people’s profiles and in the Explore tab. Although the feature is coming to iPhone users first, Instagram said will be rolling out to Android “in the coming weeks” as well. 

So, how does it work, exactly? Simple: Make a pinching gesture with your pointer finger and thumb anywhere on a photo or video that you’d like to see in closer detail, and then open your fingers (un-pinch, basically) while gliding across the touchscreen. That section of the media will simultaneously zoom-in as you open your fingers. It’s pretty easy to figure out. 

If you still need help, or if you’re wondering what pinch to zoom looks like, check out Instagram’s example below. PetaPixel also posted a hand-on, and from that video, it seems like when you pinch photos and videos, a lightbox-like effect occurs, and then the media comes out of the frame.

 

Starting today, you can pinch to zoom on photos and videos in feed, on profiles and on Explore. Dive into an adorable puppy’s smile or into every detail of your friend’s new shirt. Over the past six months, you’ve seen many exciting changes come to Instagram, from a new icon to longer videos and even a new way to share everyday moments with Instagram Stories. And as things change, we’re still focused on improving the core parts of Instagram. Zoom is available today for Instagram on iOS. Zoom will be available on Android in the coming weeks.

A video posted by Instagram (@instagram) on Aug 31, 2016 at 8:00am PDT