Instagram now lets you use private messaging to send photos

Instagram has boosted its Direct messaging feature to let you have threaded conversations around public photos or shots taken instantly. Think of it as Instagram's way of taking on Snapchat. When you previously found an Instagram shot you liked, you would usually @-mention someone on the post. Now, you can just send the photo to your friend via Instagram Direct. All you need to do is tap on the arrow that's right beside the Like and Comment buttons. But, of course, the photo has to be set to public for you to share it, unless you and your friend both follow the private account. These photos will appear in the new threaded conversation format. You can even send hashtag pages and location pages through Instagram Direct. 

The new Instagram Direct will also let you take quick snaps to send right away, rename your groups, and send emojis. The version 7.5 update is already available for both iOS and Android. 

Source: Instagram | Download: Apple App Store (Free) + Google Play Store (Free)

Instagram now supports portrait and landscape orientation

It’s no longer hip to be square on Instagram. The app doesn’t just support the square format anymore. It now supports both portrait and landscape modes. Now when uploading photos and videos, you can tap the format icon to adjust orientation to portrait or landscape instead of the square. When you share these images, they’ll appear to your followers in the full-sized version you want it to. It no longer crops out the edges if you don’t want it to. But to keep your profile looking clean, posts will appear as center-cropped square.

In this update, Instagram is also letting all filters work for both photos and videos. You can even adjust the intensity of the filters for videos, too. The update is available for both iOS and Android versions of the app.

Source: Instagram | Download: Apple App Store (Free) + Google Play Store (Free)

Photoflow for Mac is the Instagram desktop client you didn't know you needed

A heavy user of Instagram? If you're on your Mac, you might want to check out Photoflow. The app will cost you $5.79 but if you're a heavy user, that might be worth it. You get features like multiple account and stream support; wide search tools like being able to browse hashtags, locations, trends, etc.; desktop notifications for likes, comments, and new photos; mice and trackpad gesture support; and the ability to enlarge photos and videos by opening them or expanding the window. The app needs you to be running OS X Yosemite though. And no, it won't let you upload photos. No third-party Instagram client allows for that. 

Source: Lifehacker | Download: Mac App Store ($5.79) 

Instagram on Android promised to get better quality photos

Since last week, Instagram has been upping the image quality of the pictures it stores and shows to a higher 1,080 x 1,080 resolution for both Android and iOS. Now, it seems Android might be getting improved image compression so photo upload quality should also improve. According to Mike Krieger, Instagram’s co-founder, they are adding a “bunch of improvements to the image pipeline” to provide “better upload quality” for Android users.

It hasn’t exactly been explained why Android users suffer from lower quality uploads than iOS counterparts. Instagram developers have previously admitted that it’s a challenge to develop for Android with its wide variety of screen sizes. But they have never really explicitly said if that affected quality. But we’re all for better uploads, and if Instagram has that, we hope to see it soon.

Source: The Verge