How to: Using BlueStacks to upload photos to Instagram

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Whether you like it or not, Instagram is here to stay as a social network. Whatever plans Facebook has in the future are irrelevant, today it’s a huge platform for a lot of users. Its presence (or absence) makes or breaks potential smartphone purchases by the active 90 million users. Windows Phone still doesn’t have an official app, but Instagraph is a good workaround for right now. From the forums, here’s another slightly more involved way to get pictures up to Instagram without using an iPhone or Android device.

We get it, for some reason you can afford a smartphone, but shelling out $2.50 for Instagraph is too much. Here’s a nice little hackaroo to get your plates of food up on Instagram. It involves a Windows PC (most of you probably have one or access) and BlueStacks.

If you don’t remember from the last time we covered BlueStacks, it’s software that can allow you to run Android applications through emulation. It only works on x86/64-based machines. So you can’t use it on your Surface RT, but you can on your Surface Pro and desktops. Back when we covered BlueStacks I actually installed Instagram, but couldn’t get the app to work. If you found yourself in the same boat, Windows Phone Central Forum member illegaloperation offers up a step-by-step guide to getting it working.

Head on into the Forums to get a look at how you can Instagram from your PC.

Alternatively, there are some other ways to get pictures up to Instagram if you’re primarily a Windows Phone user. Like the Sam Sabri method (it’s really called that, Bing it if you don’t believe me). Just make sure your photos are automatically saving to SkyDrive and you can then access them from most any modern computing device through SkyDrive. For example, I have an iPhone 4 around that is basically an Instagram machine (thanks to SkyDrive). I’m kidding about it being only an Instagram machine, I mostly use it to check for app parity when we get a new release from on Windows Phone.

Anyways, let us know below what other ways you get pics up. And thanks to illegaloperation for sharing the guide with us all.  

Source: Windows Phone Central Forums

Sam Sabri
Sam Sabri
54 Comments
  • bluestacks wont install on my pc it gives me a update graphics driver message but everythings up to date i had it on this same pc before i upgraded to windows 8 now it wont work at all
  • Are those the same drivers from the previous OS? If so, there should be w8 drivers that replaced those.
  • how would i be able to find the new drivers? im on a hp laptop and i went to the hp site and it said i had the latest drivers but it didnt say anything about windows 8 drivers
  • What is your graphic card?
     
    Also, is your laptop plugged into the wall?
  • yes im plugged into a wall and i have ati mobilityy radeon hd 4200 series
  • If your laptop has both integrated graphics and discrete graphics, you'll have to switch to discrete graphics. Mine is the Radeon HD 3800 series.
  • how do u switch im not sure if mines has both
  • Go to Control Panel > Device Manager
     
    Look under "Display adapters"  What's listed there?
  • http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/win8/CompatCenter/ProductDetailsViewer?Name=AMD%20Radeon%20HD%204200%20Graphics%20Card&vendor=AMD&Locale=1033&BreadCrumbPath=ATI%20radeon%20hd%204200&Type=Hardware&tempOsid=win8
     
    The compatability centre says you need to download something. It was the same with my HP but mine uses Intel something. The drivers on HP aren't always as up to date as the drivers from the manufacturers of the parts.  
  • but what would i have to download? ive tried everything
  • I have an HP laptop as well (only 1.5 years old, a dv7) and I have researched the driver issue a lot in the past.
    The bottom line is HP does not release new GPU drivers, ever. So if you have switchable graphics you are screwed and have to do with the drivers you currently have.
    Because of this HP drivers crap I am unable to update to win8 or use IE10 in win7 (there was a MS support article about this as well stating that certain HP laptops are stuck until HP releases new drivers).
    The best advice is don't buy another laptop from HP until they sort out their driver updates, and don't buy a VAIO laptop in the UK their support sucks even more than HPs.
     
  • Yea same here.
  • I have the same problem with my Packardbell.
  • Hi! I know another way to post the images on instagram without instal push.photo
  • just did this method a little while. i said this in another post but i feel dirty after using android...
  • Just wash your hands after and we can remain friends.
  • Brush your teeth too...just in case...
  • Huh, I never really used bluestacks, though it's already installed on my PC. Oh well, time to instagram the crap out of it, I guess.
  • It's odd not too many people know about this.
  • I picked up Instagraph and Metrogram (free) - supporting the developers, hope they are up to speed with ensuring that bugs and glitches are resolved!
  • Blue Stack method is good for creating accounts, but instagram itself is hardly usable on it.
  • It's good enough to upload, but I doubt that I will be using it for anything else.
  • If instagram is that important to you you shouldn't choose WP. I mean that's a hella work to upload a damn picture
  • No. Yes. Maybe. Depends. 

    Everyone will have a different answer. For me Instagram isn't a deal breaker on Windows Phone. Would I like an offical app? Yes. Can I live with my current set up using Instagraph or my method above? Sure. But for others it is a huge deal (90 million active users / month) and for others they couldn't care.  So why do we make a big deal about Instagram on Windows Phone? Because it is an important app to have. I'm sure we'll get a dozen comments in this post about "who cares", but they're the minority, a lot of people do care. 
  • ^this
  • I agree that instagram is definitely an important app. All I'm saying purchasing a kindle or an iTouch sounds more reasonable then going through all of that hassle. What I don't get why there is no official app. Facebook is already loosing it's ground to twitter and instagram is probably their key of not becoming MySpace but they are denying access to customers. No wonder why their stock is doing so bad. What kind of business plan is that?
  • Here's the 'who cares' you've been asking for.
    Seriously people need to get some self control about sharing every damn thing about their silly insignificant lifes online.
    boohoo you can't use an app whos only purpose is compromising your privacy
    what a sad state of affairs the human race has come to
  • Ehh.. .I'd rather the 'who cares' crowd just skipped over Instagram articles from now on. 
  • Agreed if the "I have to have Instagram or I'll die" crowd will stop infesting every other story about an app that comes out.
  • +1x10^1000
  • Actually, once set up, it doesn't take much effort to upload photos.
  • Here's another workaround: take a picture of a hot steaming pile of shit, send it via MMS to your teenage daughter, and have her post it to instagram for you. I haven't tried it yet, but it should work.
  • LMAO
  • ROFL! XD
  • You sir win the internet.
  • I'd first report you to child protective services if we went that route.
  • Now that is funny.
  • This is the only way to sign up for an account if you have a windows phone only. Worth noting.
  • Thank you for doing this. (again) Too many people don't know how to do this.
  • Thanks for alter way,but I think if we have blue stack App that is really cool.
  • just tried it.  i can now fucking upload better filters than those prefixed ones.
  • It's not that I can't afford, its just that instagram on other platforms have official support, full of features and uploads for free.
  • How about not using instagram at all, works for me
  • I'm pretty ignorant about instagram. Can you not simply upload photos through the website?
  • No
  • Downloading bluestacks is supporting the android platform this would help to destroy our Windows phone platform not good at all, also i had used bluestacks on my pc before i had a Windows Phone and it was unstable on a lot of fronts and crashed once or twice, so i got rid of it after a few days also its just extra hassle to use it, instagram will joiin our platform soon if you don't destroy it first....in the meantime use instagraph which they said will update again soon
  • It has been updated since...
  • Works on MacIntosh as well afaik
  • Does this work on WP7 unlike you guys on WP8 I can't get instagraph and I was ready to support the developer!?! Also I agree that the I don't care people should keep posting comments as long as im reading reviews on phones and other apps and people bring up instagram lol
  • "Bing it" - lol seems ure 100% pure Microsoft fan. Never heard that before. btw using same workaround SkyDrive + iPad
  • Perhaps I am missing something...but I don't see any instructions or tutorial on HOW TO UPLOAD photos to Instragram from your PC in this article?? 
  • The instructions were to visit the forums to find the solution, but it would have been nice if a link would have been posted.
     For anyone else who's curious, look here:  http://forums.wpcentral.com/off-topic-lounge/223015-guide-how-upload-images-instagram-without-instagraph.html
  • I don't understand... everybody has some problems with postings. Easy wat to upload your photos without downloading its a push.photo I use it few mounth and no troubles, guys!
  • So I had no problems installing Instagram and I just drag the photo in the instagram box and it opens there, but after I finish editing it and proceed and press the green ">>" button in order to post it on Instagram, Bluestacks blocks and it's "Not Responding" anymore. Any idea why this is happening? I have the latest Bluestacks version, could it be because I have Sims installed? Or Windows 7?