instagram – TWFLD

IGTV redesigned: Here’s how it plans to take over TikTok

Papi Mabele — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 13:34:39 +0000

Instagram is rolling out an update for its IGTV app that brings a redesign focused on creators. The app, which pales in comparison to competitors like TikTok, is a platform for creating and uploading short videos. In addition to changing the home design, Instagram is also rolling out some new features on IGTV, including the ability to record videos hands-free.

IGTV was first introduced mid 2018 as a dedicated app for sharing longer-form vertical videos. The app joined the existing Instagram platform, which used to feature a button that would directly launch the video app. The big appeal is that unlike the regular Instagram platform, IGTV doesn’t limit video lengths to one minute or less.

Though it has been on the market for nearly two years, IGTV has never proven as popular as alternatives like TikTok. That hasn’t stopped Instagram from sustaining the app, however, which was recently updated with a new home screen that highlights creators at the top. As well, the app’s new Discover tab helps users find new creators to watch.

The IGTV app update changelog reveals that IGTV also now supports hands-free video capturing, which means that users can tap the video icon located in the upper left corner to start recording. The videos can be directly edited and then uploaded to the IGTV app, eliminating the need to use the device’s native camera app.

Instagram told The Verge that the updated IGTV app presents each user with featured creators that are chosen based on which accounts the user follows and the content they’re most likely to enjoy based on their existing habits. As well, IGTV Stories now play a 15-second clip as a lure to get viewers to click on the video and keep watching.

The update is available on the App Store and Google Play Store now.

Instagram zoom feature now on Android

Papi Mabele — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 18:17:38 +0000

Lately, Instagram has been rolling out a significant number of changes and new features. From changing up its app icon to keep things on the fresh side to rolling out a new stories feature that seemed to borrow heavily from another popular social media app, Instagram has been making a large number of tweaks and firing them out the door quickly. Today, the features list is growing once again with the addition of a small yet frequently requested feature: pinch-to-zoom on Android.

While Instagram announced the pinch-to-zoom functionality to its iOS app in August, its only now that the functionality reaches the Android base. Its worth noting that this new feature doesn’t apply just to pictures, however, as Instagram says that users can also pinch to zoom in on the videos that are in their feeds, hosted on profiles, or appear in the Explore tab.

From here, Instagram says it will continue to improve the “core parts” of the service, so it sounds like there are more updates on the way. We’ll keep an ear to the ground for any news on new features coming down the pipeline.

Instagram for Windows Phone is here; first look

Papi Mabele — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 06:02:05 +0000

The plea at Microsoft and Nokia released a joint statement on the release of the Instagram app, which will be available only for Windows Phone 8. The app will offer Live Tiles that refresh with new data on the Start screen, and will also come with support for fast-resume; sadly, there are quite a few features that won’t be available right away, such as video capture and uploading, photo tagging, viewing geotaxis.

Instagram explained that it wanted to get the app out to users as quickly as possible, so a few features had to be left out of the first version (which they are calling a beta), but it assures us that future updates will come with plenty more functionality (as updates are often wont to do). Still, the addition of official support by Instagram is a good indicator of health for Windows Phone.