Instagram rolled out a big improvement to the way embedded photos will look on the web on Thursday.
Embedded Instagram photos will now be bigger and cleaner than before, with a narrower bezel around the frame and a Follow button above the image. This will make it easier for readers to follow the Instagram account of the embedded photo's owner via a Follow button.
The move to feature larger photos is a smart one for Instagram. Publishers that embed photos on websites or articles, especially media outlets, will most likely be pleased with the refreshed design and thus more inclined to embed Instagram photos. Users whose photos are embedded in stories will also have an easier way to accrue followers.
Existing embeds featured on webpages will continue to work, but Instagram warned there may be a small time period right after the launch when embeds could be glitchy.
However, for a user to easily follow another account on a mobile device (via the Follow button on the embedded photo), he or she must be logged into the app and the mobile desktop page -- a requirement that might prevent users from impulse following some accounts.