14 DAY TRIAL // Instagram has recently started the rollout of a new feature that allows users to post directly from the desktop, therefore no longer requiring the mobile app specifically for this purpose.
Originally tested earlier this year with the help of a limited number of users, this feature makes it possible to fully access Instagram from a PC and post a new image with all the benefits of the mobile app. Filters and things like that are all supported, so overall, the experience is very similar to the one offered by the smartphone application for Android and iPhone.
The only thing you need to do is head over to the official Instagram page, log in with your username and password, and then you should see a new + sign in the top right corner to let you post fresh content.
As TechCrunch reports, the feature is currently rolling out to users out there, so not everybody gets their hands on it today. However, the release should be completed quite fast, so posting photos and videos shorter than one minute from the desktop will be available for everyone rather sooner than later.
Expanding the audience
While this is a feature that certainly makes sense, especially since Instagram was already available on the desktop to browse your followed accounts, it also gives a new purpose to the platform as a whole.
Instagram isn’t abandoning the mobile app, but it’s clearly trying to make the service available to as many people as possible, so by bringing the service to the desktop, the company is aiming for a continuously growing userbase that doesn’t want to rely on the mobile device for the common things.
There’s no word as to whether Instagram is also planning a desktop app, but a PWA comes in handy anyway, especially as it’ll allow both Windows and Mac users to browse and post content easily from their browsers.