Instagram just hit a number that turns heads, did you help achieve it?

Instagram is growing and growing – and it's not like its popularity will soon dwindle away. The platform now has 3 billion monthly active users.

Mark keeps us updated

The last time Meta shared official figures was in 2022, when the company reported that Instagram had surpassed 2 billion monthly users. Meta, which was then still known as Facebook, acquired Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion, Reuters reminds us – a decision that was initially met with skepticism as the app at the time was focused mainly on photo-sharing and generated little revenue.

You know what happened next – Instagram exploded in popularity and its reach expanded significantly. This trend will most likely. As a consequence, some analysts estimate Instagram will account for more than half of Meta's ad revenue in the US this year.

A key driver behind this growth has been the Reels feature, introduced in 2020, which enables users to create short-form video content. This has allowed Instagram to compete directly with other platforms dominating the short-video market, including TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

For reference, TikTok reported earlier this month that its global monthly user base exceeds 1 billion.

Instagram finally supported on iPad

Instagram has recently (finally!) released a dedicated app for the iPad after years of users relying on the stretched iPhone version. Unlike the mobile app, which opens to the main feed, the iPad version launches directly into Reels, signaling Meta's focus on short-form video. Users can still access the traditional feed, Stories, and messages, but the design makes it clear that video is the priority.

The move positions Instagram to better compete with TikTok, which has long offered an optimized full-screen experience on tablets. For years, Meta claimed technical challenges and low priority as reasons for not building an iPad app, though the real motivation appears to be tied to the rise of Reels. With Reels now responsible for about half of the time users spend on Instagram, Meta is using the iPad as a bigger stage for its most profitable feature.

While longtime users may see this as an overdue update, the app's release is more of a strategic business decision than a user-driven improvement. The new iPad app is available starting today, and its success will depend on whether Meta's video-first approach resonates with users.

The domination will continue

Let's face it: for the last few years, Facebook hasn't been as appealing as it was, say, 10 years ago. It seems that if people are into reading short posts, they go to X, and if they want to see some pictures and videos – to Instagram. Those who want to scroll through videos of sentient marionettes escaping dental anesthesia go to TikTok.

So, Instagram is on the correct path for the foreseeable future, so I guess we'll soon report about reaching 4 billion monthly active users.