Instagram Launches Web Feed; Allows Better Desktop Functionality

Instagram has announced the launch of an improved desktop web experience. The new product is basically a well implemented newsfeed in addition to account options and settings. We will get down to it and tell you what the new feed for desktop entails.

Image feed:

The first thing that is visible when you log in to the Instagram website is the new image feed from the people you follow on the service. Each image in the feed now lets you ‘heart’ it and add your comments. The feed displays comments and ‘hearts’. The whole interface stays true to Instagram’s design and is a very easy and aesthetic way of viewing content, as compared to Facebook’s feed.

Profile:

The web version now also allows you and others to view your profile and see all the photos you have uploaded in one place. It allows your to ‘heart’ and comment even from this place. Clicking on an individual photo here brings you to a pop-up which displays the photo in a manner similar to their previous web view. It also allows you to edit your profile from the web.

Badges:

This is a new feature which lets you embed your Instagram profile on any website. Putting this Badge on your blog lets you promote your Instagram profile to many readers who come to your blog but are generally unaware of your Instagram account. This is an excellent solution for brands, as the badge functionality also includes creating your custom badges. These are however subject to API usage and brand guidelines.

Find my badge here:

Manage Applications:

This is a privacy related feature which is inspired by Facebook’s 3rd party application access procedure. I currently use IFTTT to get Instagram to support Twitter cards based on a recipe by Nameet Potnis. Since this application needs API access, all details regarding the access show up here. You can revoke access to any of these 3rd party applications from the web version. Check the image below.

The web version of Instagram is a definite value add to the whole Instagram experience. Instagram was one of the first breed of apps which consciously decided to go with the ‘mobile first’ strategy. Even though they have launched the web version, only sharing and access functionalities have been transferred over to it. The clicking of images, the applying of filters and social sharing all needs to be done via the mobile phone app. This seems to be an intelligent division of functionalities but it makes me wonder if they will extend full Instagram functionality to the desktop soon. Will it make sense? What do you think?

Website | Instagram

Story Source | Instagram Blog

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