Having originally started with a relatively humble photo sharing app, Instagram had morphed into a massive online community even before Facebook bought it, and now it's the place to go if you want to share that cute cat picture, especially if you want to then share that across multiple social networks. The problem with Instagram though, and it's a problem with all social networks, you find yourself checking it far too often, and that starts to get annoying for other people. And we're all guilty of it.
Since being taken over by Facebook, Instagram has rolled out its fair share of updates, and today, has launched an all-new, separate app for iOS. Layouts is essentially a collage app, letting you combine multiple snaps into one post, and thanks to its existence, Instagram believes you won't need to be trawling the App Store for such features anymore.
A new hidden menu lets users record 1080p video using Instagram's Hyperlapse app, with more options also opened up for good measure.
If you're carrying around an iOS device and have even a passing interest in video or the phenomenon that is Instagram then you'll probably want to check out its latest app if you haven't already. Called Hyperlapse, the iOS-only app can record time-lapse video that's ridiculously stable and looks, in all honesty, absolutely terrific.
As popular as Instagram has been since its arrival and despite its buyout by Facebook, the app and service's biggest feature is also its biggest limitation. Offering a way for people to post square, relatively low resolution photos, Instagram is never going to be home to large, high quality photographs.
Even though we presumed that all of the avenues for a popular IM app had already been explored, the guys at Snapchat had other ideas, and over the past couple of years, particularly among the younger, college-age generations, it has continued to thrive. With Facebook having already made the purchase of Instagram and, more recently, WhatsApp, it's clear that Mark Zuckerberg and his social company wants to flex its considerable clout in this industry and go head-to-head with a new app by the name of Bolt.
Facebook owned Instagram is without a doubt one of the most popular apps in the mobile world. Opinion will always be split on the photo editing and sharing network, but it's definitely difficult to recall how we managed to share our photos with the world so quickly and efficiently before the app came along. Regardless of whether you're a hardcore Instagram fan who professes that addiction to all who'll listen, or a closet snapper who uses the app in secret to apply a sepia filter to a photo of your lunch, we all deserve to be running a streamlined version of the app. And thanks to developer krishneelg3, Android users can now get a modified version of Instagram that is as beautiful and functional as Instagram for iOS 7.
Instagram, love it or loathe it, is very much the center of many of our lives. It's how people share photos of their kids, their holiday destinations and their family gatherings. Yes, there are plenty of people who post nothing but photos of their breakfasts or are busy taking selfies at funerals, but for every pointless photo on Instagram, we're willing to bet there are two that are magnificent. Just follow Trey Ratcliff's feed and you'll see what we mean.
Instagram's Windows Phone 8 app was very late to the party and it may only be in beta form right now, but that isn't stopping it from topping the download charts in the platform's Windows Phone Store. In fact, Instagram is the only app that seems capable of knocking Facebook off that top spot, with the social network now sat at number two in the charts that it once dominated. If there was ever any doubt that launching Instagram on Windows Phone, even though it's still technically a beta version and not quite finished, its overwhelming popularity should prove that the folks at Facebook got that decision right.
Facebook has just announced Instagram Direct, a new feature to the photo-sharing social that will allow users to send and receive direct messages from other users. The new service, something that is totally brand new to Instagram users, allows us to send short video clips and photos to your Instagram buddies. The rest of the details can be found after the break!