Instagram overhauls and intensifies its web presence

Image-sharing service Instagram last week unveiled updates to its Photo Page website giving users increased ability to interact with photos directly from their computers.

The update allows the Photo Page to act as more than just a dead-end target for click links from Twitter and Facebook, and signals a move from the originally mobile-centric app toward desktop interactivity.

Interactivity

Instagram's renovated Photo Page allows users to log in and edit their profiles, follow new friends, like and comment on different photos from a desktop Web browser. The other tweak is a fresh look for the page, featuring larger images and replacing the original dark theme with a new blue and white theme reminiscent of the app.

Instagram user interface designer Maykel Loomans announced “the new Photo Page” in a tweet featuring a screenshot of the redesign.

One Small Step

While the change is welcome, the update still lacks feature parity between the app and its web presence. Users can only access content by clicking on external links and the Photo Page website still doesn’t have a central feed or a direct-uploading service.

The page overhaul also neglects many of the updates that were recently brought to the iPhone version in its first major update since Facebook acquired the photo-sharing app earlier this year.

Although the app has a long way to go in its expansion beyond the phone, the new Photo Page is a step forward for Instagram as it shifts from an iOS-only experience to one that increasingly works across all devices.