Instagram has been synonymous with image sharing for years. And since being bought over by Facebook, the free app integrates with that social media platform.
In short, Instagram is a fully-fledged social media platform that revolves around sharing images and videos on just about any subject.
While you can set your account to private and only share your pics, stories, and videos with family and friends, you can still see and follow others. And explore what the world of Instagram creators has to offer.
By making your account public, you can share your interests and passions with a global audience. And build up an international following of like-minded people, particularly if your feed has a theme instead of being random pics.
Recently deleted feature added
Instagram announced that they were rolling a new feature called Recently Deleted.
The much asked for feature will help users better manage their content. Recently Deleted will enable users to review and restore accidentally content from within the Instagram app.
The update also introduced new protection measures to help prevent accounts from being hacked and posts deleted. From now on, the app will require account verification when users permanently delete or restore content from the Recently Deleted folder.
Content that is deleted is moved to the Recently Deleted folder. Stories will be kept in the folder for 24 hours and all other content deleted after thirty days. Users can, within 30 days, choose to restore or permanently delete content.
Share images, stories, and videos
Explore the work of other Instagrammers
Edit images and videos before uploading them to your feed
Add filters, special effects, stickers, etc.
Add stories that expire after 24 hours
Private direct message others on the platform
Add polls to your stories
Pin your favorites to highlights
One of the strongest features of Instagram is the amount of control you have to offer how your content is displayed and to whom. You can make your account private and accept or decline follow requests.
Or you can use Instagram as a public platform to become an influencer, build up your personal brand, or opt for a business account to promote your business, products, or services.
Free
Multi-language support
Easy to use and uncluttered interface
Good control of your profile and privacy
You can post long-form videos on IGTV
Lots of advertising
The Instagram website lacks features
No scheduling for posts
Instagram is downloadable from Google Play and the App Store.
The Android download requirements vary by device. On the iOS platform, the app occupies 162 MB of storage space and needs iOS 12.0 or later.
As usual, there is a little bit of a split between the two camps. Google Play rates the app as 4.4 out of five from over 113 million ratings.
Predictably, the App Store rating is higher at 4.8 out of five off some 20 million ratings.
There are three types of Instagram accounts to choose from: personal, creator, or business.
