Instagram and Twitter have finally made up, which means you can view previews of Instagram posts when they’re shared on Twitter.
That’s because Instagram has relented and allowed Instagram posts to be previewed in a tweet, instead of just a link to the post. So, why are Twitter and Instagram allowing these previews again? Keep reading to find out.
Twitter Will Display Link Previews of Instagram Posts Again
Instagram is bringing back support for previews of its posts on Twitter, otherwise known as “Twitter Card previews,” or “Instagram preview cards.” Now, when you share a link to an Instagram post on Twitter, a preview of the post will be shown in the tweet.
How it works is that Twitter will automatically turn the link you share into a card format when you enter the link into a tweet, much like how you’re able to preview article content from entering its URL.
Until now, whenever someone posted an Instagram link on Twitter, the tweet would only display the URL of the Instagram link, which made it look spammy, making it easy for other users to scroll past.
The new functionality seems like a no-brainer, so you’re probably wondering why it didn’t exist in the first place. Well, it did, but Instagram pulled support for it back in 2012, shortly after Facebook bought Instagram.
At the time, Instagram founder Kevin Systrom said that it wanted images to be viewed on its own platform, and not on Twitter. The change wasn’t received well, and for good reason—it made cross-posting quite difficult for users.
The change is being rolling out to all Android, iOS, and web users.
Why Instagram and Twitter Have Fixed Link Previews
After a near decade-long tiff, it appears that Instagram and Twitter are working on repairing their relationship.
In June 2021, Twitter allowed iOS users to share tweets directly to Instagram Stories, and users speculated whether there’d be more to come following the launch of this function.
This could be what sparked the two platforms to allow Instagram post previews in tweets again.
Previews Will Encourage Engagement on Instagram Posts
While it isn’t a perfect integration between the two apps, Instagram post previews in tweets is a step in the right direction. It makes cross-posting from Instagram to Twitter a lot easier. Often, tweets with just URLs don’t get enough engagement because users don’t know what they’re looking at.
So while you won’t get a full-screen preview of an Instagram post in your tweet with the now-returned functionality, it’ll allow users to partly see what is in the Instagram post, which will encourage them to tap the tweet.
We’re hopeful that this will lead to even more features that will make it easier to cross-post between the two apps.
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