Instagram is synonymous with posting pictures online. But it has often been a surprise for people to open Instagram on their personal computers and not be able to post:
However, that might soon change as Instagram is testing a new feature that will allow posting from a browser on a desktop computer.
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The Odd One Out
Usually, social media applications offer similar features regardless of the platform. But Instagram has been the odd one out forever:
It is mobile-focused, only allowing users to browse, like, and comment on posts when using Instagram on a browser on their personal computers.
Now, Instagram seems to be updating that limitation.
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Leaked On Twitter
This news first hit the airwaves when a Twitter user posted they could see a test feature that allowed them to post from a browser. This was later confirmed by Instagram while talking to Tech Crunch.
According to the Instagram spokesperson, they were aware that a lot of users accessed Instagram from their computers. This number actually rose during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. And they wanted to improve that experience, so that is why they are testing this new feature.
Fixing The Browser Experience
This isn’t the first time Instagram has increased the functionality of its browser offerings. In 2017, Instagram added the ability to view stories in a web browser. Previously this was only available for smartphone users.
They also added the direct message functionality just last year.
If anything, it seems like Instagram is catching up slowly to other social media options when it comes to functionality in a browser.
Catch-up Is Actually Growth For Instagram
It is important to understand that Instagram was initially made for smartphones. That is where most of their user base resided. So as users are moving to different platforms, Instagram is actually increasing its reach to other devices.
The article by Tech Crunch explains how there was concern that improving the functionality of Instagram on personal computers, may actually cannibalize Instagram’s smartphone app users.
But a data scientist working for Instagram observed on the contrary. According to the data it was the opposite case, users that used both the smartphone app and the browser version were more likely to spend more time on Instagram as compared to users that stuck with one platform exclusively.
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Testing The Feature
For those of you who are interested to check out this feature, you need to first check and see if this test is live for you. You can do this by:
- Heading to Instagram on your web browser.
- Once you log into your account look for a plus icon in the icon tray.
It is important to note that the test is not live for everyone yet, since it is in the test phase and hasn’t been released. If you have the plus icon, you can use this to create a new post.
It is refreshing to see Instagram is catering to desktop users. We may see that Instagram brings more new features to their desktop platform in the future.
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