Instagram for iOS now supports Dolby Vision HDR: What it means for users

Instagram for iOS now supports full Dolby Vision and ambient viewing environment metadata, promising more consistent HDR viewing

Instagram’s iOS app now supports Dolby Vision HDR videos and ambient viewing environment metadata, marking a significant upgrade in video-quality support on the platform. Meta confirmed that HDR videos recorded on iPhones will now retain key metadata such as amve (ambient viewing environment) and Dolby Vision specifications, enabling more accurate colour, brightness and contrast across different iPhones and displays.

What has changed

Instagram has supported HDR video uploads and playback for iOS devices since 2022, but it did not preserve Dolby Vision or the amve metadata embedded by iPhones. According to Meta’s engineering blog, the earlier workflow used FFmpeg encodings that discarded the iPhone-generated metadata, which meant HDR videos could appear washed out or inaccurate under low-brightness or varied ambient conditions.

 

With the new update, the full metadata is preserved from upload through server processing to end-user playback, enabling proper Dolby Vision rendering on supported devices.

Why it matters for users and creators

For iPhone users capturing HDR video — which many newer iPhones can record in Dolby Vision — the upgrade means their uploads now stand a better chance of appearing on Instagram closer to their original intent.

The amve metadata lets the viewing device adjust contrast and brightness depending on ambient lighting, while Dolby Vision metadata lets the app and device render enhanced dynamic range, more vivid colour and better brightness on supported displays. For creators, this makes sharing HDR content more reliable, and for viewers, it means playback quality on compatible devices should visibly improve.