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Instagram

590 'Instagram' stories September 2011 - August 2016
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Instagram is a social media service owned by Facebook for sharing photos and videos. Instagram launched in 2010 exclusively as an iOS app and didn’t come to Android and the web until 2012.

Facebook acquired Instagram in April of 2012 for $1 billion. Facebook also offered to buy Instagram’s closest competitor Snapchat back in 2013 for $3 billion.

In June of 2017 Instagram shared that it reached 250M daily users, surpassing its rival Snapchat by almost 100M. It also has over 700M total users.

Instagram has been criticized for taking popular features from Snapchat such as face filters, stories, and stickers. The company also has plans moving forward to introduce more business focused features.

Instagram 9.2 update brings pinch-to-zoom to photos and videos, better low light performance for Stories

Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Aug 31 2016 - 8:59 am PT
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On the heels of its recent Stories update, Facebook-owned Instagram has added low light improvements for photos and videos captured within the Stories interface. But even more notable is the fact that you can now use pinch-to-zoom on photos and videos in the feed, on profiles, and in the Explore tab.
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How-To: Add Snapchat snaps to Instagram Stories [Video]

Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Aug 11 2016 - 1:57 pm PT
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As brought out in our recent walkthrough video, Snapchat Stories and Instagram Stories share a lot of similar features. Yet, there are a few differences between the two social services when it comes to posting ephemeral story content.

Snapchat, for example, features the ability to use stickers and lenses, while Instagram Stories is a little more basic in its offerings. But did you know that it’s fairly easy to upload snaps created in Snapchat directly to Instagram? In the following video tutorial, we’ll show you how.
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How to use Instagram Stories – a step by step walkthrough [Video]

Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Aug 3 2016 - 3:00 pm PT
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With the launch of its new Stories feature, Instagram is positioning itself to not only capture the interest of current Snapchat users, but it’s also likely seeking a way to keep existing users firmly locked into its service.

Yes, as you’ve likely heard, Instagram Stories is similar to Snapchat Stories, but there are differences. In this video walkthrough, we’ll showcase the basic mechanics of Instagram Stories, show you how to create new stories, and more.
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Instagram rolling out Snapchat-inspired ‘Stories’ feature with ephemeral sharing

Avatar for Zac Hall Aug 2 2016 - 7:25 am PT
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Facebook has been trying to recreate Snapchat’s success on its own ever since it tried and failed to buy the social app, and the latest feature it has developed for Instagram is no different. Instagram today unveiled Stories, a new photo and video sharing feature that borrows from the Snapchat-created feature right down to the name. Unlike traditional Instagram posts, Instagram Stories are more ephemeral and disappear 24 hours after being posted…


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Twitter extends video uploads to 140-seconds as Instagram hits 500M monthly users

Avatar for Zac Hall Jun 21 2016 - 6:48 am PT
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Twitter for iOS today will see the ability to upload and share much longer videos than before while still holding on to the short clip approach. The social network is announcing that video uploads to Twitter will extend in total duration from just 30 seconds to a full 140 seconds, or 2 minutes 20 seconds. Twitter users may recognize the ‘140’ number as the character limit generally (but not always) assigned to tweets — which is based on the 160 character limit of SMS minus usernames — so Twitter is really embracing the number here.

Speaking of numbers, Instagram is sharing today that its photo and video sharing service has hit a new growth milestone at 500 million monthly active users (with 60% active daily) plus some other interesting stats about its app.


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You can now post to Instagram directly from Photos and other iOS apps

Avatar for Zac Hall Jun 6 2016 - 1:38 pm PT
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Starting today, it’s now possible to share photos and videos directly to Instagram on iOS without having to first launch the app. Instagram version 8.2 includes an iOS extension that lets you share both photos and videos from Photos and other iOS apps directly to Instagram. The feature also lets you write a caption to accompany the photo or video, but filters and other editing features will still require launching the full app.


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Instagram is quietly testing a major visual overhaul of its iOS app

Avatar for Chance Miller Apr 26 2016 - 6:38 pm PT
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Instagram, following the controversial announcement that it would change the order in which images appear in user feeds, now appears to be testing a complete redesign of its app. Instagram has long stuck to the same classic design, but if this redesign rolls out to everyone, the app could finally move forward and fall into line with the design trends being adopted by many other apps.


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Instagram rolling out longer 60-second videos + multi-clip support on iOS

Avatar for Greg Barbosa Mar 29 2016 - 10:51 am PT
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Hot on the heels of Snapchat’s Chat 2.0 announcement, Instagram has officially announced support for sharing longer user created videos. Noting that viewership on Instagram videos has increased by more than 40 percent in the last six months, Instagram today will begin rolling out 60-second length videos to all.


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Instagram to soon start showing content out of order and based on personalized algorithms

Avatar for Chance Miller Mar 15 2016 - 4:35 pm PT
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Following in the footsteps of Facebook, Instagram today announced in a blog post that it will soon adjust the way in which content is presented in its iOS and Android apps. While content is currently shown in chronological order, Instagram will soon switch to new personalized algorithms based on each user…


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Extensify: a simple and easy-to-use tweak store for non-jailbroken iPhones [Video]

Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Feb 27 2016 - 7:22 am PT
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Extensify is a highly anticipated app release from developers Majd Alfhaily and Kevin Ko that’s been in the works for quite some time. This weekend it will finally be launched as a part of a limited rollout.

Extensify is best described as a tweak store that allows you to change the properties of App Store apps. Unlike tweaks that require your iPhone to be jailbroken, Extensify works without needing a jailbreak. This is made possible by Apple’s decision to allow users to sideload iOS apps. Have a look at our hands-on video walkthrough inside for more details.
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Instagram rolling out multiple account support to select iOS users

Avatar for Greg Barbosa Feb 4 2016 - 11:46 am PT
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A little over two months ago our sister site 9to5Google reported that Instagram was releasing multiple account support for its Android app, and it now appears it will be coming to iOS too. The feature is not currently available to all users, but there are reports that many are already seeing it enabled. Multiple users are reporting to Latergramme that the option is now visible for them under the Options menu view.


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Popular Instagram client removed from App Store for harvesting usernames, passwords

Avatar for Chance Miller Nov 10 2015 - 5:36 pm PT
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Apple today has pulled a popular Instagram client from the App Store after it was found to be harvesting usernames and passwords. First noticed by developer David L-R on Twitter, the Instagram client InstaAgent has been pulled from the App Store. The app, downloaded more than half a million times, touted that it would let you see who had been viewing your Instagram profile.


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Instagram reportedly testing ads with 3D Touch & Apple Pay integration & other Apple Pay news

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 6 2015 - 12:00 pm PT
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Update: An Instagram spokesperson has reached out with following statement:

“Mobile commerce is definitely a space we are looking at closely. However, this isn’t something we are testing at this time”

Instagram is reportedly testing new ads that will take full advantage of being integrated with Apple’s platforms including the new 3D touch pressure sensitive touchscreen feature and its payments service Apple Pay, Digiday reports.

The integration of Apple Pay and 3D Touch, a new feature introduced with the iPhone 6s that allows pressure sensitive touchscreen interactions, is reportedly being tested as an expansion of Instagram’s recently launched “Shop Now” feature:

It has even run tests with restaurants to sell menu items right from the Instagram feed, without the need to click off the app’s main feed, said an ad agency source familiar with the test.

Some of the shopping tests incorporate features like Apple’s force touch screen feature, which lets consumers apply pressures in their clicks to switch among multiple product options in the images, the source said.

In other Apple Pay news, MacRumors notes that Wegmans will be one of the next major retailers to roll out its rewards card program but that it’s only in a piloting phase ahead of a full roll out next year. Yesteday, Walgreens became the first retailer to offer its rewards cards through Apple Pay.

And possibly related to Apple’s overall rollout of its own payments service, the site noticed Apple appears to have quietly dropped support for PayPal credit payment plans in its US online store. It is, however, continuing to offer Paypal as a financing option in the UK and as a payment option in its online stores there.

Instagram takes on Apple’s Live Photos with new 1-second video loop app, Boomerang

Avatar for Cam Bunton Oct 22 2015 - 7:43 am PT
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Instagram is expanding its range of apps further today by introducing a new video-looping service to rival the likes of HTC Zoe and the iPhone’s baked-in Live Photos. Boomerang takes a quick burst of photos in-app, and then turns them in to a moving photo, or video, that loops forward and backward. Don’t call it a GIF though, it’s a Boomerang…
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Instagram reaches 400 million active users, 80 million photos shared per day

Avatar for Chance Miller Sep 22 2015 - 2:43 pm PT
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Popular image sharing service Instagram today announced that it has grown to have more than 400 million active monthly users, up from 300 million in December of 2014 and double the number it had in March of 2014.

Furthermore, Instagram says that more than 80 million photos are shared via the social network every day. The company also notes that of the last 100 million users to join, more than half live in Europe and Asia. This accelerated global growth rate means that more than 75 percent of all Instagram users live outside of the United Sates.

We are thrilled to announce that the Instagram community has grown to more than 400 million strong. While milestones like this are important, what really excites us is the way that visual communication makes the world feel a little bit smaller to every one of us.

Our community has evolved to be even more global, with more than 75 percent living outside of the US. To all the new Instagrammers: welcome! Among the last 100 million to join, more than half live in Europe and Asia. The countries that added the most Instagrammers include Brazil, Japan and Indonesia.

Instagram was, of course, acquired by Facebook back in 2012 for $1 billion, although Facebook has maintained a rather hands-off approach when it comes to interfering with Instagram. Most recently, Instagram on iOS gained long awaited support for landscape photos and videos.

Instagram enhances its Direct messaging feature w/ chat threads, giant emoji, more

Avatar for Zac Hall Sep 1 2015 - 10:31 am PT
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After mostly letting it sit stagnant for nearly two years, Instagram is ready to show its Direct messaging feature some love. Instagram Direct, which lets you share photos, videos, and messages privately with other Instagram users, was seen as a play at Snapchat and similar apps when it launched in 2013, but it’s so far experienced limited appeal within the photo sharing app. Now Instagram hopes to change that with new features including message threads, giant emoji, sharing from your timeline, and more.
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Instagram rolls out support for portrait + landscape photos & videos

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Aug 27 2015 - 10:40 am PT
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Instagram today announced that it’s rolling out two new orientations for photos and videos including portrait and landscape formats to add to the old square photo format that was previously the only option for users uploading content.

It turns out that nearly one in five photos or videos people post aren’t in the square format, and we know that it hasn’t been easy to share this type of content on Instagram: friends get cut out of group shots, the subject of your video feels cramped and you can’t capture the Golden Gate Bridge from end to end.

When users upload an image in the app, they’ll now be able to tap a new icon to get access to the new portrait and landscape orientation options. In the screenshots above, Instagram gives us a look at how the new photo orientations will appear in a user’s feed.

The company notes that “To keep the clean feel of your profile grid, your post will appear there as a center-cropped square.” And lastly, Instagram is making all filters available for videos, which previously had its own set of separate filters:

We’re especially excited about what this update means for video on Instagram, which in widescreen can be more cinematic than ever. While we’ve historically had separate filters for photos and for videos, all filters will now work on all types of moments. You can also adjust the intensity of filters on videos, too.

The new features are available in the updated iOS app, version 7.5, landing on the App Store today.

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Instagram rolling out user, location, and hashtag search on the web

Avatar for Zac Hall Jul 20 2015 - 10:29 am PT
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Nice Yosemite reference, Instagram

Instagram first started as an iPhone-only photo sharing social network and has since expanded to other smartphone platforms, but the experience for interacting with Instagram on the Mac never been at feature parity. Today Instagram is making small steps to improve the experience with using the service on the web by introducing the ability to search for content using the official Instagram website.
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Pinterest announces IFTTT & Polyvore apps as first developer platform integrations

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 8 2015 - 9:34 am PT
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After introducing a new developers platform and SDK in May, Pinterest is today announcing a couple of the first integrations developers have come up with starting with popular automation platform IFTTT and community based shopping/fashion site Polyvore.

For IFTTT, the service that lets users automate common web and app-based tasks based on a set of rules known as “recipes”, users will now be able to link products and devices on Pinterest to their automated workflows. The company shared some examples: automatically save Pins to a board from simple actions in other apps such as liking a photo on Instagram, upvoting a post on Reddit or favoriting an item on Etsy. There are more than 20 Recipes to choose from starting today. The Pinterest integration for IFTTT is available through desktop and the service’s mobile apps.

For Polyvore, users can login to the site using their Pinterest account to quickly and easily get access to pinning items from the fashion community/shopping site to Pinterest boards via the company’s iOS app.

In addition, Pinterest noted that new SDKs and documentation for developers are available to all through the company’s new developers site. The new SDKs give devs access to the Pin It button and JS and OAuth support.