\n<\/p>\n
Whenever I get a new phone and eventually install Instagram, the first thing I do is dig through the app\u2019s settings menu for a toggle that reads \u201cUpload at highest quality.\u201d According to the app, when enabled, this ensures you\u2019ll \u201cAlways upload the highest quality photos and videos, even if uploading takes longer. When this is off, we\u2019ll automatically adjust upload quality to fit network conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
But here\u2019s the weird part: by default, this setting is switched off<\/em>. Aren\u2019t we in the 5G era? Isn\u2019t this the social media platform where people obsess over presenting themselves in the best possible light? Why would the highest-quality uploads be an opt-in feature in 2023? And how come they buried this several layers deep in settings? Shouldn\u2019t it be a choice you\u2019re presented with after opening Instagram for the first time?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sometimes I wonder what difference the toggle actually makes. Instagram doesn\u2019t go into detail on any of its support pages; there\u2019s no technical info available on resolution or video bit rate limits that are put into place if the app determines that your network connection is subpar. But if you upload a story, reel, or feed post that looks noticeably blurrier or downgraded from the original, maybe this setting is the reason why. I know there\u2019s some Instagram engineer out there who probably knows every last detail, so don\u2019t hesitate to email me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s particularly important to enable this if you\u2019ve got an Android device; people have often complained that Instagram content looks worse when published from Google\u2019s OS as opposed to iOS. I don\u2019t want to stir the pot on that much, but there\u2019s a long history of the Android side feeling shortchanged \u2014 even if Adam Mosseri recently shared his take that Google\u2019s mobile OS has surpassed Apple\u2019s in overall form and function. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n No, all I can do is advise you to go hunting for this toggle \u2014 just as I do upon every phone upgrade \u2014 to make sure all your bases are covered. And here\u2019s how to do that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n