By 
Instagram has taken the stage at SXSW, today. One of the main announcements was that the popular picture sharing iOS app has just reached 27 million registered users, with a whopping 67% of them using the app just yesterday. But that was not the only good news. Co-founder Kevin Systrom disclosed a bit of the upcoming Instagram Android app, mentioning that “in some ways, it is better than their iOS app.”
Systrom went on to give users a quick preview of the app by flashing it to the public, running in a Galaxy Nexus. But a full-demo was not given, as this app is now under private beta. But it should not be too long before us Android users can get in on the picture-sharing fun.
We may be wondering what took such a large developer so long. Instagram was launched in the fall of 2010, and we have been hearing of it coming to Android since that year. After multiple updates and leaks, we continue to wait. It has been almost 2 years, and there are chances that the delay will reach that threshold before Instagram makes it to Android devices. Here is what Kevin has to say about the matter:
“I don’t think it took us so long. We just had priorities. Had we tried to be both on Android and iPhone at the same time, it would’ve been tough to innovate in the way that we have.”
Instagram was trying to build up its fame with iOS, instead of rushing things and working on both operating systems. The team believes that they can create a better service by taking its time to make a quality product. But with a good product and customer base, Instagram now claims to be ready for the Android ecosystem.
Regardless, the app should be hitting the Google Play Store soon. And with such a high adoption rate on iOS, that 27 million number should be increasing very quickly once the little green robot gets its hands on it.
How many of you have been waiting for the Instagram app to reach Android? Will you be using the app?
[Via: TechCrunch]
What is Instagram?
I hoped to find the answer in the article…all I got is photosharing….I use email/whatsapp/G+ for that….what’s so good about Instagram?
nothing. iphone users made it popular because it has extra filters that make all of your photos look old, grainy or washed out. When everyone starts posting the same look with the same filters, it starts to look stale and worn out. Just ask JulianZApplefan. There are a ton of Android apps out there that have the same crappy filters and allow you to share to multiple social networking sites as well as their own hosted sites. The problem with having them hosted on ANY site is it is the property of their site. If they delete your photos, oh well. Don’t rely on some two bit operation like instacrap to keep your photos.
magichour from android market is a nice app. you can make your own filter or download from other people. you keep your photo on your phone…… or facebook.
ps: i am not a fan of apple. but i want to try out their iOS, so, i dont feel like a frog inside a well.
It is pretty much a photo-sharing/editing app. You can snap a picture and edit it with certain layers and filters. Then send it out to the social networks, as well as the app itself. It has a stream, kinda like Path, or the facebook wall. But it all revolves around images. We already have many ways of doing the same. But people love this app.
Not really necessary, there’s plenty of great camera apps, and the stock camera comes with cool effects and sharing. What do we need instacrap for?
sharing power.
I have never had a problem sharing pictures.
it not just sharing to facebook or twitter. it can share to it’s own website. share it with people around the world you dont even know of.
Oh, that’s just what I want. Strange people looking at my “art.”
well, they got 27 million users. i will give it a try when they release it on android.
don’t do it. use any other app to share photos to your friend. don’t yield to instacrap like Julez
a lot of camera apps send to their own website. I don’t see the point these days. Twitter can even do it now. Just saw no to instacrap, Julez. I know you heart everything apple, but just let this piece of crap go.
that’s my GN running MIUI iphone theme haha. i am so ready to jump ship once iphone with 4G is released.
as for instagram, it wouldnt hurt to give it a try.
can share with any app on an android phone.
i will def use it . i use picplz now on my phone and live it
Nope…not excited about it. What is instagram anyway?
Streamzoo is better
instagram has only been so successful on iOS because picture sharing with fb, twitter etc terrible. Android has always been integrated into whatever you want it to be. Instagram will get downloaded a lot in the beginning but Android users will quickly find there’s no need for it.
exactly this.
every single camera app I currently have has excellent sharing capabilities. to every single social/sharing service I care about. already.
and frankly (having played with it), the filters on instagram are sub-par to some other apps I already use.
I believe that instagram shot themselves in the foot by delaying development on the android version. unless they have some awesome feature as of yet unmentioned, by the time it reaches the market, no one will care much.
+10000000000000
spot on. IOS never had the option of sending pics straight to facebook. And that’s why Instagram played a BIG part.
Android users heard of Vignette? CAMERA ZOOMX? Lightbox? Paper camera? The list goes on and on.
to an Android user this is nothing special. I believe vignette is better at editing than instagram. Well I’m glad Its coming.
This actually could be a plus, Think about it, Android always getting the pure premium well polished apps. :) I could get used to this
I love Vignette and I agree. I don’t feel instagram is all that special. It doesn’t really do anything I cant do on my Android better already.
It’s funny that even something that I take for granted like sharing a
pic is so hard to do on ios. I guess sharing pics is only for hard-core
users that like to mess with custom roms.
Yes Yes Yes! I’ve never owned an iOS device before and I find it staggering when people say…oh yeh iOS can’t do this or that when all along I’ve just believed it’s the norm (like photo sharing capabilities on Android)
THIS IS WHAT PI*SES ME OFF WHEN IPHONE USERS ASK US TO DEFEND OURSELVES FOR SUPPORTING ANDROID.
It’s all the little things which don’t really come to mind that makes android so brilliant! These never have enough impact though in an argument though. See; ‘Hey I’ve got voice recognition on my phone, its called Siri and its so freeking amazing’ …’ermm, my Android has had these features for over a year….’
Oh well, at least deep down we all know were better off than the iSheep.
Peace x
Mobli for Android is the same thing. Its a competitors app basically. Its also for iOS.
What noone is getting is it is very popular. It is kinda like saying some knockoff Facebook app is on my phone so why do I need facebook (because everybody is on facebook). The reason is because all your iphone friends are on it and you want to be able to socialize with them. Mobli might be a lot better app but if it doesn’t have the userbase then it’s not important. The old Beta vs.VHS senario. Beta was better but VHS had better marketing and acceptance.
will it be linked to the iphone version .my girl has a iphone 4s and i have epic 4g touch will i be able to follow her?
I hope not. ANyone that uses instacrap on any phone is a clown. Tell her to use something else. Even camera+ is better. Just say no to instacrap.
i dont see what is wrong with it? people/consumers can use or buy whatever they want. why do you hate people use instagram or apple so much? why people cant have an open mind….
It’s through your accounts so you should be able to follow her with no issue
for ppl asking what it is . its basicly just like twitter but revolves around photos and has some editing and sharing for other social networking sites .
any phone/gallery app for any phone these days does the same thing. They just happened to be the most popular on the iCrap for years.
sorry but instagram is played out. Everyone posts pics that look the same on their iphone because they use the same crappy filters from instacrap. JUST SAY NO TO INSTACRAP. They didn’t give a crap about Android users for years and now that their stuff is old and stale, do NOT give them the ad dollars because they decided they need more money. JUST SAY NO!
Exactly. This is just hipster leftovers. I prefer Vignette anyway. They have been stellar Android developers that are amazingly responsive and with the system for quite a while.
Come on, people. Lightbox has been doing this for a long time now on Android.
Anyone with the slightest interest in using Instagram should check out Lightbox.
why everyone hating . its not like there forcing you to use the app . ppl have free will and will download what app they want and why hate just because you like something else .
Yeah, kinda funny how this app is touted but built in camera and a picasso account does all the same shit… and other apps even more. It is just one of those instances where Apple seems to have something groundbreaking because they couldn’t integrate it into their UI, so a simple company comes along and makes them “cool”. It’s quite sad actually but fortunately many people here no what BS smells like…
Prefer paper camera… idk why though.. lol
app is pointless
any android can shar epics wth any social network quickly
as well as edit pics
Your not getting it. It is less about the sharing to other social networks then it is about their own instagram social network. It is a fad till the next thing comes along but if you have friends on iphones that is how you communicate. Multiplatform apps that are socially based need to be on both platforms so we can communicate with the isheep. I don’t use instagram but for the teens it is bigger than facebook now. It is the lastest club to be in.
all android users should know there is a “share” button is EVERY photo apps. if you dont know what you can do with it then you really shouldn’t be using an android phone
Point #1. Screw them. They did take a long time, very disrespectful to android users IMHO. There are already similar apps on the market and even stock filters and effects with most devices nowadays.
Point #2……
And really whats with all this “what is instagram?” crap? Yeah yeah I get it, iphone stuff is beneath you you dont even pay attention to it. Right. Its one of the most downloaded apps in the world.
It just kind of makes you look stupid. You’ve never heard of instagram? Cmon
“And really whats with all this “what is instagram?” crap? Yeah yeah I
get it, iphone stuff is beneath you you dont even pay attention to it.
Right. Its one of the most downloaded apps in the world.
It just kind of makes you look stupid. You’ve never heard of instagram? Cmon”
Believe it or not, I had never heard of it. I’ve never had an iPhone. I’ve never owned anything made by Apple. And I get plenty of dates without putting my pic on an internet site. It may come as a shock to you, but I have never been to facebook either. I prefer to make contacts in the real world. Sex is really great that way, too. Try it sometime.
iPhone users think that talking to Siri is even more pleasurable.
I own an iPhone and am just now hearing of it! ROFL.
I have plenty of other apps that do what I need them to. Plus, by this point, sharing on Instagram is synonymous with having an iPhone. I don’t really want to send that message.
Julian, I can respect your choice and desire to want to experience different tech like ios. If that is the case, why wait? Why not try it now? Give it a try and do a write up on your opinion of it, I’d like to hear your assessment of it. ios is a good os, but it’s not pushing the limits like Android is. For example, 4G. You’re still waiting for that for ios. The phone and os you have now is the best os overall. Is it for everyone? No, but it is much more powerful than ios. Android 2.3 is very smooth and as you know ICS is super smooth and fast. They have accomplished this while integrating the latest in hardware like 4G, larger screens, dual core, quad core, etc… It takes a larger os to accomplish this and more resources in the os and in the design team. ios is very pretty just like the iphone is. I believe the next iphone will have a larger screen which is great but again, Android is continuing to push the limits with larger screens.
As for instagram, I have never followed it or really even knew what it was. Now that I have learned what the app is all about I find it hard to see the big attraction to it. I’m sure it is a great app and from what I can gather it gained its success because it did something that ios did not do natively. Android has done this from pretty much day one. There is a share option in every picture app because it’s an option in the os. I use the option alot as well and like all the options it gives me. In fact, the most used ‘Sharing’ option I use is the bluetooth option which I believe ios still does not do. Yes, there is an app for that. Isn’t that their slogan? “There’s an app for that.” Maybe that’s why there are more apps in the app store because ios needs apps to accomplish tasks that the os cannot do natively.
When you do finally decide to try ios, after waiting and waiting for 4G, take a look at all the things that are NOT built directly into the os that Android does have. Then ask yourself this “Why do I need to go to the app store and download an app to do this basic task?” You’ll be thinking “Android has that option already built in.” And it will be at that very moment when you will realize how powerful Android really is. I understand it takes leaving Android and trying something else. But really, I do want to hear about your experience and opinion. Hit me back here on Phandroid. I’m MileHighDroid, send me a pm or throw up a thread in the forums for all of us to read. No bashing, just honest real experiences.
I just assumed iphone took horribly blurred, poorly lit pictures. I had no idea there was an app making them look that way on purpose.
Instagram is a solution looking for a problem in android’s world. Our native apps can already easily send to anything.
Today I learned that instagram does for iOS what Android pretty much already does stock…
Finally!!!
Instagram is more then photosharing and alot of teens are using it instead of facebook. Both my daughters thought their android phones were weak because all the iphone people started using instagram more than facebook. Thank god they had Honeygram so they could atleast view Instagram pics and comment on photos. It might not sound like much but kids drive tech too. Instagram is the new facebook for them. The android community has to start whoying over these developers alot faster. I was getting tired of defending Android to both my daughter when their friends give them a hard time, (they love their phones and tablets but the apps need to come faster). Yes we have been able to share from day one to social networks with Android, but we have to be able to keep up with the Apps too. This is great that it is coming to Android. My kids will be happy and then they will spread the word. Youth is our viral network we need to make things that help them push the Android tech.
I have kids and know what you mean. But at the same time its not the devs Google needs to be after. In this case I imagine the devs didn’t come over because they knew their app served no purpose on Android. So why should teens be happy to get something they already have? Google has to work on stopping Apple from being the cool thing. Teens should be able to say oh….my phone ready does that and more. Instead they are just chasing the hype. Google needs to help create its hype though some of it is not their fault. If you share from the FB app didnt it stop saying shared from Android? It doesn’t say at all where it came from on Google plus and it should. Google seems to not get how folks get caught up in that sent from my iPhone mess.
I agree but that is where iPhone has the advantage, one source for the tech allows you to market it better. We have multiple carriers and products using android so we get more hype about the hardware and less about what the software does. It is a shame, but atleast some companies are starting to put out good commercials that show off the features (samsung) and not just the case it’s in. Hype is everything, we need to make android sexy. :)
What’s needed is a better way of spreading the word about what’s available for Android. Right now the critical mass fr kids is the iPhone. Android users are in part to blame, because they made Android sound as though it’s for the tech savvy only. Mom and Dad don’t want kids complaining that they can’t figure out the phone, so they buy the “user friendly” one. Right.
Even though Android has apps that do what Instagram does (and more!) prople in general, and kids specifically, don’t abstract. Vignette isn’t Instagram. It’s better, but that doesn’t matter. It’s not Instagram. It’s not the specific app they’re all talking about.
Of course, all it would take would be for enough Android kids to start posting pics that Instagram can’t match to turn the whole thing on its ear. Then Instagram needs to catch up quickly or the deficiency gets blamed on the iPhone for not being as good as Android. Sounds like a bizarre logic train, but it’s how it would play out.
We just need some brave souls to dare to be different…
Bring the app..but don’t expect and “apple user’ response. Android users are not your drink the kool-aid type.
Unfortunately when its not all the rage like it is on iOS Android will be blamed. They’ll say they just can’t get as much adoption on Android. I hope when they say the app will be better than the iOS version they meant they went above and beyond to make it actually add some value yo Android. Otherwise it will just be a rehash of common features. Best thing to do would be to add a normal sharing option and let the filters hang off the normal camera app.
You don’t know most Android users. Most android users don’t post on Android forums. If you think that by owning an android device, you are part of some elite Mensa club, you’ll be very disappointed. There are all kinds of Android users these days.
Who cares? I don’t want your iOS garbage.
The comment section on phandroid is pathetic
Makes me sad that someone could read this and relate me to the type of posters that are pretending they’re better than using instagram
The whole point of the app is sharing pictures on a huge social network made particularly for …get this …sharing photos. Get over yourselves.
Look if you want to be.excited about Instagram go right on ahead. But don’t get mad if the rest of us already used this feature in our devices and don’t care about a social network built solely to address a shortcoming in iOS. It doesn’t make sense for most Android users especially with photos auto uploading to G+ which is becoming a favorite for pro photographers anyway. Why do we have to be excited for something we don’t need?
meh
I love my Instagram. I like posting pictures of odd things in daily life.
Android, the OS loved by hard core computer guys…and their preteen sisters. What!? Cooties! But it’s true. Go to t-mobile and see. They love Flash, they love keyboards, they love lots of stupid free apps from Amazon and now they’ll have another reason to love Android. What can I say? Any win for Android is a win.
The best app I have found for picture taking is pixlr-o-matic. Hands down the best imo.