Instagram icon from 2016 to 2022, when it was updated to include even more saturated colors Although often admired for its success and influence, Instagram has also been criticized for negatively affecting teens' mental health, its policy and interface changes, its alleged censorship, and illegal and inappropriate content uploaded by users.įor a chronological guide, see Timeline of Instagram. As of October 2015, over 40 billion photos had been uploaded. The Android version was released in April 2012, followed by a feature-limited desktop interface in November 2012, a Fire OS app in June 2014, and an app for Windows 10 in October 2016. acquired the service for approximately US$1 billion in cash and stock (equivalent to $1,184,000,000 in 2021). Originally launched for iOS in October 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Instagram rapidly gained popularity, with one million registered users in two months, 10 million in a year, and 1 billion by June 2018.

As of January 2019, Stories is used by 500 million people daily. It also added messaging features, the ability to include multiple images or videos in a single post, and a Stories feature-similar to its main competitor Snapchat-which allowed users to post their content to a sequential feed, with each post accessible to others for 24 hours. In 2015, this restriction was eased with an increase to 1080 pixels. Instagram was originally distinguished by allowing content to be framed only in a square (1:1) aspect ratio of 640 pixels to match the display width of the iPhone at the time. Users can browse other users' content by tags and locations, view trending content, like photos, and follow other users to add their content to a personal feed. Posts can be shared publicly or with preapproved followers. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags, and be associated with a location - via geographical tagging. Instagram, LLC is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms.

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