Today Instagram announced the launch of its Android app. For those of you who don’t know what Instagram is:
Instagram was launched in October 2010 by co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Instagram is a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Simply snap a photo, then choose a filter to transform the look and feel. Pictures are shared on Instagram, and can be easily uploaded to other social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.
Instagram was initially an iOS app only, and it amassed over 30 million users in less than 2 years. With the release of the Android app, friends and family with different phones across different mobile operating systems can now share their photos. These number of users is sure to grow quickly as there were over 430 thousand Android users on a waiting list to be informed when the app was available, and the launch has been all over social media today.
Some may ask well what took so long for them to develop an Android app, and Instagram delivered an admirable explanation:
Launching on a single platform allowed us to focus on the product and the user experience. It’s given us the ability to stay small and nimble, and we’ve been able to respond quickly to user feedback.
Instagram decided to focus on one area, one OS, and to do it well. This is admirable, as many companies who have an idea or product want to spread it to as many people as possible in order to make a profit. However, Instagram focused on the quality of the app and the user experience, and it shows by the over 30 million users from just one mobile operating system.
Instagram will be something to watch as it continues to grow. It really is its own social media experience, while the app for easy integration of the other main social media players like Facebook and Twitter. Are you an Instagram user on iOS? If so, tell us what you like about Instagram. Are you an Android user who likes to share photos with friends? If so, and your phone is running Android 2.2 or higher, you should check out Instagram in the Play store. Sorry Android tablet users, Instagram doesn’t support tables at this time.
Instagram by the numbers:
- 430 thousand+ on Android Waiting List
- 30 million+ Registered Users
- 1 billion+ Photos Uploaded
- 5 million+ Photos Per Day
- 575 Likes Per Second
- 81 Comments Per Second