Hacker News Reader

Comment by Shawnj2 | Hacker News Reader

Also worth nothing Instagram has been pretty good at eating other apps’s lunch, specifically Snapchat and later TikTok. Obviously Snapchat and TikTok are still things and are quite popular but the instagram versions of those features are quite good and the network effect is important.

View on HN

Instagram is good at improving their app experience by incorporating features. However, it is not good at launching standalone apps either. Consider

  1. Boomerang - https://www.niemanlab.org/reading/instagram-launches-a-standalone-app-boomerang-that-turns-photos-into-a-1-second-video-loop/
  2. Shopping app that was never launched? - https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/4/17819766/instagram-shopping-app-e-commerce
  3. Layout - photo collage app https://www.stuff.tv/news/instagram-launches-layout-standalone-app-your-photo-collages/

That is true, I’m a bit baffled they didn’t integrate this in some capacity into instagram itself. With that said I think this has a higher likelihood of success than instagram apps made for instagram users since this is an Instagram app using Instagram to launch a twitter replacement.

> I’m a bit baffled they didn’t integrate this in some capacity into instagram itself.

Boomerang and Layout functionality is built in to Stories, now. Shopping is also integrated.

Fair point although I think “Hi there’s a new Instagram tab that is twitter” would be a more effective way to gain users than “go download a different app that you then have to log into using Instagram”

> However, it is not good at launching standalone apps either.

That's ok, and in many ways preferable and transparently communicated in many cases. They spin off an independent application, build an audience, figure out what features best convert and migrate those to the primary platform and transition the userbase over to it. Rinse and repeat.

It allows them to try, learn and refine in a sandboxed environment and bring the best over.

They often talk of this process in terms of their "experiments"

Reply on news.ycombinator.com