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October 23, 2013

Instagram Finally Coming to Windows Phone

After a long and interesting year, it seems that Windows Phone is finally getting an official Instagram app. It was assumed by many that the social image-sharing service would appear on the platform a year ago alongside the launch of Windows Phone 8, but obviously that didn’t happen. Since then, there has been some interesting back-and-forth between the Instagram team and Microsoft’s hardware partner, Nokia.

For a while, it seemed as though Instagram had no interest in either Windows Phone or BlackBerry as CEO Kevin Systrom warned back in June not to expect the app to appear on either of those platforms “anytime soon.” He did, however, offer a small ray of hope in saying that WP and BBOS could, at the very least, expect Instagram released before Google Glass.

Nokia didn’t seem to like the uncertainty and has been publicly hounding Instagram for months to, at the very least, receive confirmation of a release date for Windows Phone. As such, it’s not surprising that the Finnish smartphone maker played a major role in Instagram’s Windows Phone announcement.

Interestingly, the way Systrom spoke at the launch event, which also saw Nokia release new smartphones and its first tablet, it seemed as though Instagram for Windows Phone was inevitable. Of course, it’s possible that the company is looking to boost its user base in time for advertisements to make their appearance in Instagram feeds across the world.

"Our ultimate goal is to bring Instagram to everyone who wants to use it," said Systrom in a statement. "We're looking forward to watching the Windows Phone community use Instagram to capture and share beautiful moments in the coming weeks."

As for Nokia and Windows Phone, this represents a huge step forward. Microsoft’s mobile platform is most often derided for its lack of popular apps compared to Android and iOS, with Instagram being one of the more notable absences. Still, there’s no hard launch date set, with Systrom only promising the app would reach the Windows Phone Store some time “in the coming weeks.”




Edited by Alisen Downey


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