How Old Is Instagram?

Hi friend! If you‘ve ever wondered "How old is Instagram anyway?" you‘ve come to the right place. Let‘s take a little journey back in time to explore Instagram‘s origins, explosive growth, and how it has evolved over the past decade.

Instagram has become such a huge part of our lives that it‘s hard to remember a time before scrolling through filtered photos on our phones. But this app that‘s used by over 2 billion people each month actually started off small just 12 years ago.

From Humble Beginnings

Back in 2009, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom was busy working on a startup called Burbn (named after his favorite alcoholic drink – nice, right?). Burbn was supposed to be a mobile app that let you check-in at locations, make plans, earn points, and share photos. But the photo-sharing feature quickly became the star of the show.

Systrom and Burbn co-founder Mike Krieger realized they were onto something special. They stripped down their app to focus entirely on photo-sharing. After going through a few name changes, they landed on combining the words instant and telegram to get Instagram – a fitting name for an app about sharing photos instantly.

On October 6, 2010, the very first version of Instagram launched on iOS. Fun fact: that cool logo with a retro camera was designed by co-founder Mike Krieger!

The timing was perfect for Instagram‘s launch. The iPhone 4 with its high quality camera had just been released in June 2010. People were ready to take and share more photos, right from their phones!

Within the first week, Instagram gained 100,000 users. And when Apple named it iPhone App of the Week, Instagram exploded to 1 million users just two months after launch.

Key Features That Hooked Users

So why did Instagram take off so quickly? A few key features really helped it gain traction:

  • Photo Filters: Instagram‘s vintage camera-inspired filters made photos feel nostalgic and special.
  • The Follow Feed: Scrolling through a stream of photos from accounts you followed made Instagram super addictive.
  • Likes and Comments: Being able to interact with other people‘s photos drove engagement through the roof.
  • Hashtags: Finding photos by hashtag opened up a whole new way to discover content and accounts.

By the end of 2011, just one year after launch, Instagram had zoomed to an incredible 27 million users. It was clear people loved expressing themselves through filtered photos.

Opening Up to Android

Now early growth was limited to iOS users. At the time, Android had about 59% global smartphone market share, while iOS sat around 33%.

With demand from Android users understandably high, Instagram finally launched on Google Play on April 3, 2012. It only took 24 hours to hit 1 million downloads!

Expanding to Android kicked growth into hyperdrive. In the first 9 months after the Android launch, Instagram went from 30 million to 100 million users.

Being available on both major mobile platforms let just about anyone get their hands on Instagram to start snapping and sharing pics.

Caught Facebook‘s Attention

It didn‘t take long for Instagram‘s stellar growth to get noticed by the major leagues. Just a week after launching on Android, some big news dropped.

On April 9, 2012, Facebook announced it was acquiring Instagram for a whopping $1 billion!

Now Facebook wasn‘t too hot in mobile at the time. Mark Zuckerberg knew scooping up Instagram‘s millions of users would give Facebook a strong presence on mobile practically overnight.

For Instagram, being acquired by a huge player like Facebook gave them resources to continue growing rapidly. But Instagram was able to maintain its independence even under Facebook, a win-win for both companies.

Growth Timeline After Acquisition

After the Facebook acquisition, Instagram‘s user base absolutely exploded:

  • April 2012: 100 million users
  • March 2013: 150 million
  • June 2013: 130 million monthly active users
  • December 2013: 150 million monthly active users
  • March 2014: 200 million monthly active users
  • December 2014: 300 million monthly active users
  • June 2015: 400 million monthly active users
  • June 2016: 500 million monthly active users
  • December 2016: 600 million monthly active users
  • April 2017: 700 million monthly active users
  • September 2017: 800 million monthly active users
  • June 2018: 1 billion monthly active users!

Whew, what crazy growth! Today, Instagram has well over 2 billion monthly active users sharing photos, videos, and more.

A few major developments along the way helped Instagram become more than just a photo feed:

  • August 2016: Launched Instagram Stories as a competitor to Snapchat
  • November 2016: Introduced Live Video
  • June 2018: IGTV introduced support for long-form vertical video
  • August 2020: Launched Reels to compete with TikTok

The Current Age of An Instagram Titan

Instagram originally burst onto the scene on October 6, 2010. So as of late 2022, Instagram is now a 12-year-old titan of social media!

It‘s now packed with features that go far beyond just photo filters and feeds:

  • Shop directly from retailers on Instagram
  • Watch IGTV long-form videos
  • Share ephemeral Stories that disappear
  • Go Live to huge audiences
  • Create Reels short videos with fun effects
  • Message friends directly or in groups
  • Promote brands and small businesses
  • Raise awareness for social causes

And with over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram has had a massive influence on culture and communication over the past decade.

Where would we be without iconic memes, viral challenges, influencer sponsorships, and filter-perfect food pics? Instagram has shaped social media and self-expression online.

Into the Teen Years and Beyond

Now heading into its teens, Instagram is starting to really focus on video content, especially with short-form video apps like TikTok exploding.

We‘ll likely see Instagram lean further into video, augmented reality, live experiences, shopping, and more immersive social interactions.

But the core of visual self-expression will remain. Who knows what wild new filters, cameras, and communities the next decade will bring as Instagram continues to evolve.

One thing‘s for sure – Instagram has come a long way from those first puppy pics and photo filters to become a pillar of modern social networking.

So next time you catch yourself mindlessly double-tapping pics, remember the app you know and love has actually been around for over a decade now! But with fresh ideas flowing into its teenage years, Instagram is still just getting started.

Written by Jason Striegel

C/C++, Java, Python, Linux developer for 18 years, A-Tech enthusiast love to share some useful tech hacks.