An interesting thing was discovered in the code of a recent Instagram app update. It turns out that verified users can publish photos in a higher (or less compressed) quality than others. Telegram channel instagram leaks drew attention to this.
It is not yet possible to verify this information, since the resource did not provide any evidence. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that similar statements have already been made earlier. So, for example, in 2019, one of the Instagram users under the pseudonym Hexe noticed that photos posted by verified users do not have pixelation. He claimed that he tested his theory on many verified accounts and did not see anything like this when enlarging the photo. Of course, they have certain artifacts caused by the compression algorithm of Instagram itself, but in any case, the quality of such photos is much higher than that of ordinary users.
Social network users have noticed this trend for a long time – Instagram really spoils the quality of pictures and videos when publishing. As a rule, owners of Android devices face this problem. Things are better on iOS, but quality degradation is also seen on the iPhone.