Instagram rolling out web profiles

Since its inception, Instagram has been only available on mobile phones, first on iOS devices and then on Androids. The developers appear to be loosening the chains on the popular photo sharing service, and are in the process of rolling out web profiles where you can view users’ profiles on a computer.

According to a blog post, Instagram states that over the next few days, it will be rolling out Instagram profiles on the web. On a computer, a user’s web profile features a selection of recently shared photographs just above the profile photo and bio, giving others a snapshot of the photos one shares on Instagram.

A new way to check out Instagram photos

Also added is the ability to follow users, comment on, and Like photos, and edit the profile easily and directly from the web. All one needs to do is go to a URL such as instagram.com/(user name). As an example, to view the Instagram profile of @Nike, type in instagram.com/nike. This will take them to the Instagram profile of Nike.

As of now, only a few profiles can be viewed on the web. Over the next few days, all profiles will be visible.

In related news, there has been some enmity between Twitter and Instagram, which started after Facebook purchased the image-sharing social networking platform. According to the New York Times, Twitter is planning to update its mobile apps to introduce filters – much like Instagram – and allow users to quickly click pictures, and share them over the microblogging website.

Though it might seem unnecessary to introduce the Instagram-like feature to a wildly successful social networking website, it may help users share photos more easily without having to download an extra app.

Recently, Instagram received an update that improved the sharing on Twitter. Instagram revealed that it will now translate @mentions for users who have a Twitter username different from their Instagram one.

If the @mentioned user's Instagram account is connected to Twitter, her Instagram username will show up in the image caption, while her Twitter username will appear in the tweet. The @mentioned users whose Instagram accounts are not connected to Twitter will have their Instagram username show up in the image caption and the @sign will be omitted from the username when the image is shared to Twitter. As for those @mentions that do not match any Instagram usernames, the @ sign will be carried over to Twitter as they are.

Back in September, reports speculated that Instagram may make its way to handsets running on the Windows Phone operating system. According to a report by The Verge, sources familiar with Microsoft’s Windows Phone plans informed it that the app may be made available for this platform.

Instagram was compatible with iOS devices since its inception. Due to the rapid growth of its popularity, its developers launched the service for Android devices as well. The author of the report by The Verge, Tom Warren, states, “We're hearing from sources familiar with Microsoft's Windows Phone plans that an Instagram app will be made available for the platform, despite Facebook's recent acquisition of the service for $1 billion”.

In August, Instagram 3.0 became available for download for Instagram users on iOS and Android platforms. Available on the respective app stores, the focal point for the new, updated version is the browsing experience. The new update brought to the table, as the app's makers put it across in an official blog post, "a new and unique way" to view their own photos and those of others on a map. Simply put, this means that after the update, users need not go through pages and pages of photos while browsing.