Instagram reportedly lowers the quality of less popular videos

Instagram just revealed that it tends to lower the quality of videos — unless they are ‘popular’. If you’re a creator on Instagram, you probably already know the struggle to keep up with its dynamic algorithm, especially when producing Reels. And, if that’s not all, there’s always the necessity to ensure your content stays on top of the ‘For You’ page.

Adam Mosseri, head of the platform and Threads, reportedly mentioned in a conversation with The Verge how Instagram lowers the quality of videos if they don’t garner enough views. 

Why Instagram lowers video quality

According to Mosseri, Instagram lowers the quality of videos that are not regularly watched, because most views only occur immediately after the video has been posted. That said, he also assures that the quality will also improve if the said video begins gaining traction again.

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While the Meta-owned platform clarified how this is done based on an ‘aggregate way’ and keeping in mind a ‘sliding scale’, several users took to social media and displayed their displeasure. Mosseri also added how this change is not very significant and users may not be able to tell the difference in video quality because it ‘isn’t huge’.

What does this mean for Instagram creators?

Videos uploaded in higher resolution often contain several visual assets, including edits, graphics and are typically of a higher production value. These clips also usually demand a lot more computing power to encode. According to Instagram, these videos also take more space on the server, compared to videos with a smaller resolution.

However, creators from around the world have expressed their views and many believe it is wrong to alter the quality of a person’s video simply based on their performance. This also isn’t the first time a change incorporated by the video and photo-sharing smartphone app has had its users outraged.

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Several Instagram users have also stated how the app has begun taking down their old archived Stories with a message blaming an unrecoverable ‘technical error’. The deletion happened at random and it states that users will no longer be able to see the message by the summer of 2025.

While Instagram hasn’t commented on the reason behind this, it is certainly a strong reminder that your digital memories are far from permanent.