Instagram adds web search, letting people look for people, locations and hashtags without app
Site originally launched without a website at all, and has traditionally been slow to get the app's big features
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Instagram is finally letting people search on the web, in a step to allow people to join in with the social network without having the app.
The change follows a redesign of the main Instagram.com site last month, which was intended to bring it into line with the mobile apps. Those apps have always had search functions, which power the network’s popular hashtags.
The new search tools should help encourage the use of Instagram embeds, which allows anyone to paste a picture onto their own site and are often used in news and other outlets to illustrate stories. Instagram embeds received 5.3 billion impressions in June 2015, the company said.
When Instagram was launched, it didn’t have a website at all and only ran on an app. The company still describes its website as “complementary to the apps”, but it has become increasingly important as Instagram trends are reflected on other websites, allowing people to see Instagram content from anywhere and allowing the broader web to see content generated there.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments