The popular photo sharing service Instagram made its much-awaited Android debut yesterday.
And according to today's figures, in just under 24 hours, the application has seen over one million downloads on Android. Impressive, to say the least.
The photo-sharing service, which was initially only available on the Apple devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) had over 30 million downloads before it was launched on Android.
So what makes this app so successful? The basic premise of the app is quite simple: take a photo, choose a filter and upload it to Instagram. There's also the option of posting to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, etc.
What initially made the app so popular was how good the filters are. For example: the ability to transform an otherwise dull photograph into a romantic, sepia-tinted print. The other reason: quick access to social networks.
Apart from sharing on regular social networks, Instagram itself has become a worldwide photo sharing community, allowing people to browse other users' uploads and comment on them. The fact that Apple has been upping the ante on its devices' cameras has also contributed greatly to Instagram's success. Better cameras mean better photos.
Instagram's solitary association with Apple almost made it a sort of a status symbol. Now that the app is on Android, it's going to be accessible across a variety of devices and across different grades of cameras. Some better than the Apple's offerings, and many worse.
As of now, the app is available on Android phones running version 2.2 and above. There is no support for Android tablets yet. But with more than 4.3 lakh users on the wait list for the Android app, it looks like Instagram's success story is only beginning.