Following its acquisition by Facebook for $1 billion in April, Instagram has received its first major update. Version 2.5 of Instagram includes some tweaks to the interface with improvements to the Profile tab and the addition of an Explore section, which replaces the Popular tab. The biggest Facebook integration to Instagram, though, is the Likes, which is also linked to Facebook’s Open Graph.
The new Explore option has a navigational icon and a search bar that users can use to search for other users and tags. User searches now autocomplete based on people that are followed. There have also been improvements to commenting.
Instagram 2.5 also comes with speed enhancements with pictures and comments loading faster than in the past. Opening the camera is also a lot faster, which allows users to snap a picture more quickly.
Another major update in version 2.5 is that users now have the option to automatically share photos that are liked in Instagram directly to Facebook.
Another change not listed in the release notes is that if you hold down the Camera tab, Instagram will jump right to the camera roll. This is a pretty cool feature, but the only downfall is that it shows the oldest photos first, so you have to scroll through all your photos to see the newest ones. This can be a pain if you have over a thousand pictures to scroll through.
Check out the App Store to get Instagram 2.5 for free.
Source: Electronista, iMore and App Store
Image Credit: iMore
