Tag: instagram

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Down For Users Around The World

Popular social networking website Facebook and its sub-services including WhatsApp and Instagram have been facing a service outage for a few hours in several regions. Hashtags labelled #WhatsAppDown, #InstagramDown and #FacebookDown have been trending on the microblogging website Twitter.

The Social Media Outage

While the cause of the outage hasn’t been revealed, it was speculated to be a DDoS style attack. The aforementioned attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt normal traffic to a web property where multiple compromised systems, which are often infected with a Trojan computer virus, are used to target a single computer system. However, a post shared on Facebook’s official Twitter account dismissed the claims. The outage mainly affected parts of New England; the US; parts of Latin America; the UK; India; and the Philippines. Some cases of it were also reported in from Canada and Turkey.

We’re aware that some people are currently having trouble accessing the Facebook family of apps. We’re working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
— Meta (@Meta) March 13, 2019

Facebook’s advertisement section was also reported to be not functioning, and it prompted an error message when users tried to buy an advertisement set on the platform. It was also suggested that the website is weighing in on the option to return the advertiser’s money because of the issue, but no official statement on the matter has been released yet. With the desktop website of Facebook down, people also reported posts on the Instagram application not loading. The Stories function of the service also was reported to be down, as was the button to post new media.

We’re aware of an issue impacting people's access to Instagram right now. We know this is frustrating, and our team is hard at work to resolve this ASAP.
— Instagram (@instagram) March 13, 2019

Also read: Best Wireless Earphones In India Under Rs 2,000

Similarly, Whatsapp was also not working for users when they tried sending a message. Notably, if users try to log in on apps like Spotify, Saavn through Facebook, the functionality would be down. All the services that went down were owned and managed by Facebook Inc. As of now, the services seem to be restored for the majority of users. Also, one can check the affected areas by visiting the following website.

March 14, 2019
Account Linking Coming Soon To Instagram

Facebook is one of the most popular social media networks today. But the teenagers and younger generations aren’t much interested in the platform. The reason facebook is able to hold on to it audience is largely because of its unified login platform. A feature that is finally trickling down to Instagram as well. Instagram has proven to be mighty successful among the younger audience.

It's been a while since I have revealed Instagram's upcoming features.

Instagram will introduce a new feature where users will be able to set a 'Main account' and those with multiple accounts would be able to login at once. Read the article for more!
https://t.co/NxQUmRGmbM pic.twitter.com/EOvRyjlWJv
— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) February 5, 2019

The feature may be enough for users to keep using Instagram and ditch Facebook completely. But this feature should be more useful if more website allow Instagram login. This would allow them to login to websites without creating an additional account.

Account Linking On Instagram

The feature coming soon to Instagram, will soon allow users to select a primary account. More accounts could then be linked to the primary accounts. This would make managing pages very easy, just like it was the case with Facebook. The code that was leaked makes things pretty clear.

Google too has a login platform of their own. But, with more people now using two factor authentication after concerns for privacy and security of their Gmail accounts, the process becomes tedious. The reason that Facebook decided to do the same for Instagram, may be due to the exponentially increasing popularity of the platform. This may also attract more millennials to the platform.

Also read: Whatsapp Introduces Biometric Authentication On iPhone

Instagram is slowly becoming the profile for a person’s online identity. Facebook’s recent privacy failures may sway people away from the parent platform. A Facebook account is not mandatory to access this feature and, all your accounts will be synced into one for easier access.

February 5, 2019
Horizontal Scrolling Update Of Instagram Receives Global Backlash

Instagram is one of the largest photo and video sharing platform. The application was first launched in 2010 and due to its simplicity, it soon became a sensational hit. Back in 2014, Facebook took over Instagram and a lot of changes have been made to the application since then. Instagram now even allows users to share videos. One key feature that contributed to the success of Instagram is its dedicated feed tab. It allows users to scroll through photos and videos vertically which is very handy. Before the end of the year, the company rolled out an update of the application which received a global backlash.

Changes Made With The Update

The Instagram feed is a collection of picture and video content that the user can easily swipe through. Originally, the feed scrolled in a vertical direction but the update completely changed this swipe motion. After the update, the user needs to scroll left to right instead of the top to bottom scroll that the users are accustomed to. With the horizontal feed, each photo is given the spotlight at any given time but after the update, this has changed. The user can now view a single post, and the comments are much more prominent now. This update received a backlash from users around the globe.

Instagram’s Fix

Also Read: 4K Renders And HD Video Of Moto P40 Leak Online

Instagram soon realised their mistake and have halted the rollout for both Android and iOS devices. Additionally, the Instagram head commented on twitter that it was merely a small test to check the feasibility of the feature which did not work out as intended. Most notably, a few minutes after the horizontal feed went live, the vertical feed seems to have reappeared for most of the users.

December 28, 2018
Instagram Adds In-App Payments Feature

A couple of days after Facebook’s annual developer’s conference, Instagram has now added a new feature to its app. Without making any big announcement, the photo-sharing platform added an in-app payments feature for a few accounts. The feature lets users add a credit or debit card and a pin. After the initial setup, users can make purchases from within Instagram.

Currently, users are able to book appointments at restaurants, spas through a Resy, a third-party dinner reservation app. With the new feature, users will be able to book services from a limited number of businesses on the platform. In March 2017, the company announced its plans to give business profiles the option to let users book their services. At the time, the company said it that it would roll out the feature in late-2017, however, that didn’t happen.

In-app payment method has become an important feature for Facebook-owned properties. WhatsApp recently introduced the feature and is currently in testing phase. WhatsApp even introduced verified accounts for businesses in order to gain traction from owners and customers of small to mid-level businesses.

Must Read: Snapchat Spectacles 2 Launched At US$ 150

The photo-sharing app has a lot of influencers who promote all kinds of products. If Instagram does find the feature useful and makes it available to all its userbase, it can go a long way to help businesses that run on Instagram. In India and many other places, there are small businesses like football jersey sellers, handmade jewellery sellers etc which operate through Instagram. These home-run businesses usually leave a WhatsApp number to place an order. Now, with the new feature, users can simply select what they want and make a payment from within the app.

The feature, as of now, is only available to a few users in the US and UK. With time, we expect Instagram to roll out this feature to other countries as well.

May 5, 2018
Instagram’s New Icon is the Centre of All Internet Hate

While there are much more heinous things in the world, like crime and terror. It seems that the world has taken a strong stand against the redesign of one of the most popular apps on everybody’s smartphone today.

Leave it up to Facebook to take something you love (like your profile page) and replace it with something millions have to get used to (like the Facebook timeline). Agreed at first this bitter change in unacceptable, but then most people do what they should; accept it and not do a single thing about it.

The same is the case with Instagram’s new brand redesign. While the App may not be half bad, the icon itself is the center of all terror. To be honest, we couldn’t agree more :

https://twitter.com/zara_mann/status/730586324470616064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/joshuatopolsky/status/730400484901654528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/MattTurner4L/status/730489367383429121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/carlyaquilino/status/730563920373649409

What do you think of Instagram’s new logo ? Let us know below.

May 13, 2016
Instagram’s New Boomerang App Lets You Create 1-second GIF-Like Videos

Over the past few months, Instagram has been playing around with some new features to bring the app out of a stale mode. A couple of months ago, the photo-sharing app introduced a landscape feature that helped Instagram break free from its traditional square photos. Last night, Instagram brought a new feature that allows users to make GIF-like videos that go forward and backwards in a loop.

The standalone app is called ‘Boomerang’ and it is available for iOS and Android users. The app is very easy to use. It takes a burst of 10 photos and turns it into a 1-second video loop. So if you find something moving and feel it would make for a fun, interesting loop, just point and shoot and the app will do the rest. Once your GIF-like video is ready, you can share it on Instagram or Facebook.

Photos can be taken in portrait or landscape mode and the final video will be saved to your camera roll. The app is fast and simple to use and doesn’t require users to have Instagram accounts.

Facebook-owned Instagram introduced the new app last night in a blog post. “Transform an ordinary selfie with your friends into a funny video. Get that exact moment when your friend blows out his birthday candles, then watch them come back to life again and again.” Watch the video below to get a better idea of how Boomerang works.

https://vimeo.com/143161189

Boomerang is the third standalone app introduced by Instagram. Last August, it introduced ‘Hyperlapse’ for time lapse videos using stabilization technology, and earlier this year it came out with ‘Layout’ that lets you create photo collages.

The app is kind of like Apple’s new Live Photos feature on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus that takes Harry Potter-esque moving images. Instagram is looking to make its five year old photo sharing app vibrant again with Boomerang. The idea is to bring something new that will especially attract the teen demographic. At only 12.1 MB, the app is super light and a delight to use. Download the app now and look for moments around you worth capturing and repeating.

October 23, 2015
Instagram Hits 400 Million Users, Leaps Ahead Of Twitter

Facebook-owned Instagram hit the 400 million mark today. The photo-sharing sharing app posted a celebratory picture and stated that the 400 million strong user base has about 75 percent living outside the US.

“Among the last 100 million to join, more than half live in Europe and Asia. The countries that added the most Instagrammers include Brazil, Japan and Indonesia”

The new 100 million users helped Instagram race ahead of twitter, which is currently at 316 million active monthly users. Facebook is surely reaping from the benefits from buying Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 now that Instagram has also taken to advertising. Research firm eMarketer estimated that Instagram’s ad revenue will reach about $1.5 billion in 2016 and $2.8 billion in 2017. Instagram has credited Facebook for the rise in users.

The recent option that allows for portrait and landscape photos along with your standard square pictures has received positive response from existing users and has surely played an integral part to rope in more people. Instagram also made changes to its Direct messages page last month which now allows threaded messages. Pictures can be sent privately without having to start a new thread every time.

Instagram poses as a strong competitor to Twitter. Both social media platforms are slowly delving into territories that are blurring the differences between them. Twitter had announced recently that it plans to hand-curate live event coverage in a project called Lightning. However, Instagram already launched new live events features in its Explore page back in June. While Twitter is turning more visual, Instagram is focusing more on events.

Despite some major improvements, Instagram is far from perfect. The main feed has not seen any improvement for a long time now. The main feed show pictures that are too big to navigate properly. An overview of popular pictures that you missed would be ideal. None of these constraints, however, have come in the way of Instagram reaching 400 million followers.

September 23, 2015
Instagram Begins Rolling Out Ads on its Photo Feed

This is the day we had hoped would never come – after cluttering our newsfeed on Facebook with “suggested posts”, it’s now Instagram’s turn to push sponsored pictures.

The first ad which appeared is by Instagram itself, announcing that within the next few weeks we’re going to see multiple unwanted posts on our homepage. These ads will come with a sponsored label and you can tap it and hide the ad if it doesn’t interest you. According to the company, even if you opt out of seeing a certain type of ads, you will still see ads based on your activity on Instagram

To show the sponsored posts that would be relevant to a particular person, Instagram will use the information about they do on Instagram as well as Facebook (its parent company) as well as information from third-party sites and apps used.

Ask anyone who is a regular Instagram user, what they like most about the app, they will tell you it’s the clutter-free interface. Instagram is not too worried about losing its followers, though. This may be good news for retailers and Instagram as they will see their fortunes rising. However, we don’t know if this is a positive or negative development for its users.

September 2, 2015
Instagram to Finally Think Out of the ‘Box’

We’ve all taken that magnificent picture of a scenic view and instantly shared it on Instagram. Till yesterday, we could only share either the top half or the bottom half of that beautiful scenery, because we had to conform to the blooming square frame that Instagram insisted, we use. Well, now that’s changed for good.

Instagram announced that in addition to square posts, you can now choose a portrait and landscape mode to suit your pictures and videos! This comes as a relief to many Instagram photographers who would get frustrated with the space restriction that was earlier imposed on them.

Square format has been and always will be part of who we are. That said, the visual story you’re trying to tell should always come first, and we want to make it simple and fun for you to share moments just the way you want to.

The popular photo-sharing, social networking service, fully understood the nuances of the square format and have tweaked it, in order to improve the quality of pictures and to also enhance the cinematographic content of the videos going up. They stated, “Once you share the photo, the full-sized version of it will appear to all of your followers in feed in a beautiful, natural way. To keep the clean feel of your profile grid, your post will appear there as a center-cropped square.”

To add to the good news, Instagram is also making all its filters available for all moments, whether it’s a photo or a video. So, now, you have the liberty to pick and choose as you wish. To learn more about the changes in today’s update, check out the Instagram Help Center.

Instagram for iOS version 7.5 is available today in Apple’s App Store, and Instagram for Android version 7.5 is available today on Google Play.

August 28, 2015
10 Things That Would Be Different if Mobile Phones Never Became Smart

Mobile phones have become an extended appendage to our bodies. Today though, with the stable establishment of the Smartphone, our lifestyle and etiquette has entirely changed. We embraced this change of modernity without much resistance, although it doesn’t hurt to wonder what it would have been like otherwise.

The Word ‘Selfie’ Would Not Be a Part of the Dictionary

The still trending culture of the ‘selfie‘ would be non-existent and one would have to learn how to perfect the art of holding one’s digital camera awkwardly. It helps that the new smartphones now come with a good front camera with up to 8MP HD clarity.

We Would be Rolling Down Our Car Window to Ask for Directions

Shopkeepers and road signs or even a REAL map would show us the way instead of the GPS or Google Map.

Image Source: Raising Gentlemen

Our Pictures Would Have #NoFilter

Instagram has nothing less than a cult following since its introduction. The App allows people to publish their photographs and has by far, the most aesthetic editing options that any photo editing app could offer. Although saying that it revolutionized picture quality and the art of photography would be going too far.

Source : Emarketing Blog

No Video Chats On-the-Go

At one point Skype was the only means to video chat across the world. It seemed like a revolutionary idea until the advent of the smartphone and along with it multiple video chatting apps such as FaceTime, Viber etc.

Remember SMS?

Two of the most popular apps for informal communication have changed the world of text messaging. Now we barely ever fill up our texting balance because we would rather use the Wi-fi to text, call, send jpeg images, voice notes etc.

Source : Mashable

We’d Still be Buying Cookbooks, Dictionaries, and Books in General

With the introduction of reading apps like Kindle, Aldiko Book Reader, Cool Reader etc. we have almost stopped opening Dictionaries, Cook Books and buying special edition magazines and novels. The reading app has become so much a part of our culture that Sunday morning Church services also involve the congregation taking out their mobile phones instead of The Bible. The mantra being, ‘less is more’.

Downloading and Storing Music

Today music enthusiasts don’t need to go to Music Stores in order to buy their favourite albums. In fact they don’t even need to buy an MP3 player or even the life changing iPod. All one needs to do is own a smartphone with apps such as SoundCloud, Apple Music, Spotify etc and you have it all in tow.

We should also be thankful that we’re no longer downloading music (along with a hundred viruses) from Limewire or Bearshare.

Candy Crush and Angry Birds Probably Wouldn’t Exist

Long ago in the 90s, if we wanted to play computer games we would have to go to the gaming parlours to experience the ultimate fun of gaming. Even when the feature Nokia mobile phone arrived the only game they had was called Snakes and it was joyous!

Arguments Wouldn’t Be Resolved Until Someone Located a PC/Laptop

Initially internet access would only be available to computer users and those who did not own one would have to visit Cyber Cafes. The feature phone too did not have a Wifi or data connection option and therefore the Cyber Cafés and computer business thrived. But with the coming of the smartphone and all its internet options most people now choose to buy a smartphone which has all the functions of a laptop or PC and have internet access on the go.

Without our smartphones, everytime anyone got into an argument, it wouldn’t be resolved till someone located a PC/Laptop.

To-Do Lists

The emergence of reminder apps have alone perhaps dropped the sales of efficient and creative stationary like sticky notes, labels, notebook fridge magnets etc.

In conclusion, a world without the smartphone would still be beautiful but perhaps won’t be able to keep up with the notoriously infamous ‘fast-paced modern’ lifestyle.

July 22, 2015
Tech Highlights of the Week: More OnePlus 2 Details, iOS 9 Beta Available for Public and Much More
This week was loaded with new product releases and announcements from around the world. We have compiled a list of news that made the rounds.

Here are the top highlights of the week:

LG hints at Google Nexus Handset

According to rumors, Google has teamed up with LG to produce the next Google Nexus handset. The device will reportedly sport a 5.2-inch screen display, six-core Snapdragon 808 processor by Qualcomm, and 2700mAh battery pack. It seems Google wants to recreate the success of Nexus 5, which was manufactured by LG.

Instagram Now Allows 1080x1080p Squares

What’s the point of clicking photographs in HD if you can’t view it in Instagram? Instagram users can now rejoice as they can store images in HD resolution. The app has upgraded the resolution from 640 x 640 pixels to 1080×1080 pixels.

Truecaller Launches Messaging App to Keep Your Inbox Spam Free

Truecaller has launched its messaging app, Truemessenger, which basically serves the same function as its parent app – filter out spam and messages from unknown numbers.

OnePlus Two Details

With just two weeks left for the OnePlus 2 launch, here are some of the key details that have been revealed about the upcoming phone –
- The phone will not be priced more than Rs. 28,500, OnePlus confirmed on Twitter.
- OnePlus 2 will arrive with a 4GB RAM and may sport a metal body.
LG G4 Review

Check out our review of the LG G4 and find out if it is worth a hole in your pocket.

LG launches two new G4 variants

LG has released two new variants in its G4 lineup, the LG G4 Stylus and the G4 Beat.

Xolo Launches Black

Xolo has launched “Black” through Flipkart priced at Rs. 12,999. The company hopes the phone will be able beat to rivals Motorola and Xiaomi.

iOS 9 beta released for public

Apple has released the beta version of iOS 9 for the public. The company has introduced some new features such as separate folder for selfies and screenshots and Apple News.

GoPro Is Back With the New Tinier GoPro Hero4 Session

GoPro, the company well known for making incredible cameras for adventure and sports terrain, has unleashed their newest and the smallest beast yet, the GoPro Hero4 Session. The new camera is the first significant redesign of the company’s omnipresent camera in nine years.
July 12, 2015
Instagram Now Allows 1080p x 1080p Squares

Instagram is an awesome app to share your memories in the form of pictures and videos. For as long as we can remember, Instagram was stuck with the 640×640 pixel resolution. But now, with the latest update, everything is about to change. With phones of the modern era capable of handling the high level of pixels, Instagram is finally upgrading to HD.

The latest report from Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger says the update will be rolling out to both Android and iOS. The company says the new highlight has been spreading out for a week, and most users should start seeing the change slowly. It should be noted that the new feature does not come in the form of an app update, but instead, changes have been made on the server side.

Back when Instagram launched in 2010, 640 by 640 pixels was a fair size for photos that would ultimately end up on an iPhone because Instagram was an iOS-only app at first. As the years have moved on and smartphones developed towards large display sizes, much more accurate resolutions, as well as high-resolution cameras, the size restraint was often probed by tech bloggers and regular users alike.

July 7, 2015
We Finally Know How Instagram is Going to Earn Some Money

Given its popularity, one might think that Instagram was earning millions of dollars through its followers. But what sort of an app will earn money if its only function is uploading or liking pictures? It barely earned a penny. Then, in 2012, it got a push because Facebook bought it for a billion dollars. However, the income was still meagre. Now in 2015, this is why it’s going to change:

Instagram will finally allow a fully operational Ad business, providing shopping links with their posts, aided by Facebook targeted groups. Yes, this means that Instagram, will now have a ‘Shop Now’ button that will link you to what you want to buy.

Earlier, Instagram had 475 campaigns with huge companies like Gap, Disney and other retailers, however, they wouldn’t provide links to buy the product outside the app and these companies would have to collaborate with third party services. Now though, we will be able to see purchase details of all commodities below the pictures and videos a company posts, and we’ll even be directed to the site of purchase.

Instagram plans to use Facebook’s 2 million advertisers to facilitate this new feature and it is certain that companies too, are ecstatic about the new development.

“It’s an ideal platform to shop on as it’s so visual and fashion oriented,” said Old Navy media director Michele Schuh in an email to Adweek.

While it will be very convenient to find the cost of a Michael Kors bag or the price of GAP t-shirts, below the picture, it will also mean that the number of ads is bound to increase. And we know how annoying that can be.

Instagram is not too worried about losing its followers, though. It is said that they have a new API in place that will allow marketing partners to automate ad responses. This means that advertisers can reach all age groups on Facebook and target their interests as well. In addition to this, they are working on making each ad fit seamlessly into your feed so that it causes minimum disturbance while you’re scrolling through your friends’ posts. So we can expect that there will be no pop-ups in the near future, at least.

This spells good news for retailers and Instagram as they will see their fortunes rising. However, we don’t know if this is a positive or negative development for its users.

What do you think? Feel free to leave a comment below.

June 3, 2015
Facebook Includes Nokia HERE Maps on Messenger, Instagram Ahead of Official Buyout

HERE maps, previously known as Ovi Maps or Nokia Maps, is an alternative of Google Maps and Apple Maps service. Nokia was in talks with buyers to sell out its maps unit, but seems like Facebook has inked a deal to power maps on its various platforms.

The social networking site is presently using Here maps on the mobile version of its website, and on other applications like Facebook Messenger and Instagram. The Facebook spokesperson confirmed the same through statement –

We are testing Nokia HERE maps across Facebook to give us more control and flexibility in delivering a consistent maps experience.

Nokia confirmed that it is seeking buyers to sell out its $2 billion Here map. The Finnish tech brand spent $8.1 billion to buy Chicago-based digital map maker, Navteq, in an effort to capitalize its market for mobile search, but the buy-out deemed unprofitable. Hence, in April, Nokia roped in the heavyweights of technology including Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Alibaba Group, etc. to sell its maps business. According to Techcrunch, one of those potential buyers has already sealed a deal with Nokia.

For now, Facebook has not given any details about its availability on iOS.

May 5, 2015
Instagram Users Can Now Use Emojis as Hashtags and Play Around With Three New Filters

In a first, Instagram, the world’s most popular photo-sharing app, has allowed emojis to be used in/as hashtags. The app has also added three more filters, namely Lark, Reyes and Juno.

Before, you could add an emoji to captions, but they could not be searched as a hashtag. But now, the new update will allow you to hashtag a particular emoji that can be searched just like any other hashtagged word. Also, if you previously had tagged an emoji, it can be searched now. Instagram explains the change in its official blog:

Over the past few years, emoji have become part of a universal visual language. And just as we share photos and videos, we use emoji to communicate emotions and feelings in ways that anyone can understand, regardless of language or background. With emoji hashtags, you can discover even more by adding them to your own photos and videos, searching them on the Explore page and tapping on them when you see them in captions.

You can try out the different emojis here.

Talking about the new filters, Instagram, has been inspired by adventure outdoor looks. Instagram blog states they are “a family of modern, subtle filters that brighten and enhance your photos in refined, beautiful ways”.

Lark filter desaturates red colour and while raising the blue and green hues. Reyes gets back the retro look in the picture while Juno taps at cooler tones of colour for a vibrant picture.

April 29, 2015