They may not be "official" but these Instagram apps are just peachy

Windows Phone Central App Roundup: Instagram Apps

Instagram (opens in new tab) is a unique social network that relies more on your photographs than your words. It's a tremendously popular service that, for whatever reason, has steered clear of an "official" Windows Phone app.

But have no fear, there are some creative minds out there and several "unofficial" Instagram apps have popped up in the Windows Store. In the beginning, most were simply viewers to let Windows Phone users look at but not touch the Instagram community.

We now have two fairly decent Instagram clients that not only let you look at the Instagram community but also upload images as well. While the number of apps are still on the thin side, we decided to roundup a few that stand out.

Instagraph ($.99): Instagraph is the app that cracked the code in a manner of speaking. The one hurdle most of the Instagram apps face is the inability to upload photos because Instagram won't share the API's. Instagraph found a way to work around this and was the first Instagram client for Windows Phone to let you not only peek in the window but also upload your images to Instagram.

In a nutshell, you send your images to a Instagraph server which in turns uploads the images to your Instagram account. The downside to this is that there may be a slight delay due to server loads.  There were some delays when the app first launched but we haven't heard too many complaints since.

The app itself opens up to a page full of thumbnail samples of the images stored on your Windows Phone. You can select one of these photos to upload and share or launch the camera to capture a new image to share.  Once selected and cropped, Instagraph uses an Aviary photo editor to fine tune your images. The editor has filters, stickers, orientation, and exposure tools to give your images a custom look.

Once done, tap the save button and you'll be given the option to add a caption to things then upload the image to your Instagram account.

Instagraph did a really good job of filling a gap with Windows Phone Instagram clients by giving you the ability to upload images. The developers recently updated Instagraph to include integration with Metrogram, a Instagram client that lets you view images and comment on Instagram, for the Windows Phone 8 version.  With the integration you have direct access to followers, who you're following, search tags and accounts, and view your liked photos.  

In addition to the Metrogram integration the update gives both the Windows Phone 8 and 7.x versions the ability to create accounts, like/comment on feeds, and modify your profile.  The updated version 2.0 of Instagraph makes the app a little more well rounded. 

Instagraph lacks a trial version, which would have been nice, with the full version running $.99. You can find Instagraph here in the (opens in new tab) Windows Phone Store.

#2InstaWithLove (free): #2InstaWithLove is an interesting Instagram app that Nokia released to allow Windows Phone users to let Instagram know how passionate the community is about sharing their favorite photos.

#2InstaWithLove lets you edit photos with a classic Polaroid frame and give it a unique look with one of seven creative filters. You can then publish the image to Nokia's online collection at 2instawithlove.com and/or save it locally to you Windows Phone Pictures Hub.

The main page of #2InstaWithLove will display a random sampling images from Nokia's network that can be pulled up and shared via Twitter. You can also share your own images on Twitter with the hashtag #2InstaWithLove.

#2InstaWithLove is a free app for your Windows Phone 8 device that you can find here (opens in new tab) in the Windows Phone Store.

WPGram (trial/$.99): WPGram is more of a looking glass Instagram app in that you can look but touching is rather limited.

WPGram has pages that display the popular Instagram photos, view your favorites, view Instagram photos nearby and view your latest images. Additionally, if you sign into your Instagram account you can view your profile, like and comment on other photos and follow/unfollow other Instagram members.

WPGram also has toast notifications when your images are commented on and Live Tile support. What WPGram won't do is let you upload images to Instagram.

As far as Instagram viewers go, WPGram isn't a bad option to consider. If you don't have an Instagram account, you can still view the popular image, view images captured nearby and share them.

There is a free trial version for WPGram with the full version running $.99. You can find WPGram here in the (opens in new tab) Windows Phone Store.

Itsdagram (trial/free/$.99): Where Instagraph broke the ice, Itsdagram shattered it. Itsdagram is a fully featured Instagram client where you can register, manage your profile, upload, comment, like, follow, and find Facebook friends.

Itsdagram includes a Home Page that displays your photos, a Popular Page showing thumbnails of the popular Instagram photos, and an Activity Page detailing all the activity to your Instagram account (new followers, comments, etc.).  Pictures can be added from your Pictures Hub or freshly captured from your camera. Images are aligned in a set crop, a standard Instagram square, and you have thirteen creative filters that will give your images a bit of flair. Add a caption and all that is left is to hit the check mark to post on Instagram.

Images already posted to Instagram can be shared on Twitter/Facebook.

There is a free, ad supported version of Itsdagram and a free trial of the paid version is also available. The free trial is limited to one image upload to test things out and you'll need the full or free version to create an account (that is if you don't already have one).

You can find Itsdagram Free here in the (opens in new tab) Windows Phone Store and Itsdagram (running $1.49) can be found here (opens in new tab) in the Windows Phone Store. Keep in mind Itsdagram is for Windows Phone 8 devices only.

Wrapping it up

There are a few more Instagram oriented apps in the Windows Phone Store but these jumped off the page. Instagraph and Itsdagram are, for the most part, fully functional Instagram apps. While WPGram is more of a viewer and #2InstaWithLove is a really nice way to give your photos that Instagram feel they are only a portion of the big picture.  For that you'll need to try Instagraph or Itsdagram.

It's a little bit of a coin toss as to which of the more "fully" functional Instagram clients is better. Instagraph does provide uploading but in an indirect fashion. The development team continues to be proactive with the integration with Metrogram to provide users more access to their Instagram accounts.  There is also efforts being made by Instagraph to include integration with WPGram.

Itsdagram takes a more direct approach to things and gives you just as much access to Instagram but under one roof.  While the integration with other Instagram apps is a plus for Instagraph, some may not like bouncy back and forth between apps to get full feature set.  While Itsdagram lacks the Aviary editor Instagraph has, the filter set is pretty nifty in its own right.

Both are fine Windows Phone apps that approach things a little bit differently.  Not sure if you can go wrong with either but personally, I like the user interface with Itsdagram a little better.  And that's not to mean Instagraph's UI sucks wind.    

The downside to it all is that there isn't a trial version for Instagraph.  Itsdagram does have a trial version limited to one upload or the free, ad supported version to give you a feel for things.  I understand the expense involved in maintaining the Instagraph servers but, it would be nice if Instagraph had a one-upload trial to let users try things out before buying.

While the easiest solution would have been for Instagram to have done the right thing and developed an "official" Windows Phone app, it's speaks volumes about our development community who rose to the occasion and fill the void. Heck, you could easily make the case that Itsdagram and Instagraph are nicer than the "official" apps found on other platforms.  We may not have missed out on anything with Instagram giving Windows Phone the cold shoulder.

As with all our roundups, we only have time to scratch the surface on all the apps available in the Windows Phone Store. If we missed your favorite Instagram app, feel free to toss it out in the comments.

Oh... and also...

If Instagram is your cup of tea you can follow the Windows Phone Central Instagram page here.  The Windows Phone Central page is still in its infancy but look for tons of pics soon.  

You can also follow some of the Windows Phone Central staff members.  You can find Dan here (opens in new tab), Sam over here (opens in new tab), Michael's page is over here, Jay Bennett our app developer and podcast master is over here (opens in new tab) and my Instagram page is here (opens in new tab).

George Ponder

George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.

66 Comments
  • Idstagram will still not let me find friends :(
  • I'll be ur friend lol
  • Just be yourself
  • I can be ur friend too ;)
  • Well Yakkob congratulations buddy u just gained 2 NEW friends
  • Huzzah.. /does a little dance
  • The only miss the lack of implementation of idstagram sharing option. Instagraph has already sharing option through the photo hub.
  • Maybe you smell bad
  • Same here. Kind of useless for me as a result. Hope the Dev can fix it soon
  • Itsdagram works perfectly for me. The only complain I have is the lack of filters, the rest of the app is great. Bought it to show my support.
  • I'm now complete. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn now Instagram access. For my Xfinity fix I just use my Kindle HD 8.9in.
  • U ever think about not being online so much lol
  • Actually, I have. Instagram is the only app I really 'use'. Was forced into LinkedIn by my Boss, forced into Facebook & Twitter by my Family & Coworkers respectively. So I consider myself a "Social Media Hostage". lol
  • We definitely need Xfinity, HBOGo, Showtime apps. I'm paying for mobile access I can't use because I'm on WP! MS has had more than enough time to release Apps for these. Even the BBC has managed for heaven's sake!
  • Umm you do know that MS doesn't have anything to do with those apps right? It's up to the devolpers ie HBO etc to make the apps.....
     
  • We do. Now I can't wait for Xbox One for the fast app switching between HBOgo, Xfinity, Hulu+ & AmazonPrime.
  • I now have itsdagram, metrogram, and instagraph. And they're all basically the same. All paid apps too. Support developers.
  • Thank you ZuNuKoo.
    Just to note, Instagraph does not violate Instagram ToS and does not use private copyrighted API, so it will not be revoked from your phones if Instagram sends an infringment request to Microsoft.
    We are hearing rumors here that Instagram will start to block  all accounts that post images not "signed" by original iOS or Android Instagram Lens App. We hope this is not true, but if not, you are safe with Instagraph, as we pass all pictures to original (neutral) Instagram lens too :)
  • #2instawithlove is also available for WP 7.X
  • Where is #2instawithmassivelove?
  • New update render it useless.. I'll try again tho
  • It sucks. That's why it isn't here. Such a rush job.
  • I wonder what ad provider Istdagram uses, I keep getting strip club ads. I have never ever been to one *cough* *cough* *cough*
  • Haha, it's Microsoft PubCenter.  Where are you located?  I can't believe they are advertising strip clubs.
  • Doesn't pub center use your recent searches? Lol
  • Lol
  • Hahah, I am in Los Angeles. Right now I have a big banner that says 'FREE VIP PASS" :O
    That said, I actually don't mind this
  • Hey Daniel, my daughter has the free version on her phone (she's moving to full no-ads version this weekend) but all the ad bar shows is an empty black bar for her.  Don't want you to miss any micro-pennies until we get you the $1.49.  :P 
    Any idea why she's not seeing actual ads?
     
    (Did i actually just post about not seeing ads?)  ;-)
  • Can't wait til all this instagram talk is over.... Now windows phone 8 has all major apps
  • Sorry but snapchat is a key app that we need
  • And vine.
  • Am I the only person who thinks we don't need Snapchat? =/
  • Just to add this full featured instagram client #2instawithmassivelove. Works preatty fine and it's 0.99€ or free trial that seams the same as the pay version.
  • Daniel Gary rocks!
  • Here you are again, hello daniel :D
  • To George Ponder, or anyone who can chime in:  Does anyone know what ever happened to the app Molome?  There was talk, and even an article posted on WP Central, that it was coming to WP, but I've yet to see it.
  • Good point! Looking forward for Molome too.They advertised it quite long ago, still...no app yet.What takes them so long?
  • If Itsdagram launched Creative Studio for editing then nothing would touch it including an official app. The only thing Instagraph has over Itsdagram is the Aviary filters but Creative Studio smokes Aviary. My 2 cents.
  • You can use Creative Studio on the image first then upload it to itsdagram.
  • Yes I know but it would still be much more convenient and allow for a more complete user experience by doing everything in one sequence.
  • That WOULD be awesome as I agree, Creative Studio rocks. To connect the two would be ideal...
  • I already emailed Daniel Gary about it last week and he replied "It's on the agenda" ;)
  • Or to all other apps that has a "browse" feature: Instagraph, Winsdagram, #2instrawithluv, ALL image relating apps support browings your photos ;)
  • Itsdagram is awesome except for the fact that they added the make private option late, and don't get me wrong I appreciate it but now I have all these followers and there's no way to edit whose following you, that should be added. And also the filters, but photos can be edited with another app first so that's not as important in my eyes.
  • Well it kind of is important because the whole point was to have ONE app to do it all.
  • I agree it is important
  • All I need now is Google Plus. We've got official Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, YouTube apps and great unofficial Instagram and Pinterest apps...only one major social network left.
  • This. The one thing I'd really like to see is a Google+ app. They've a wonderful win8 metro app. (part of the "Google" app).
  • Who is google...? I use Office.
  • I seriously doubt we will ever see a official Google+ application given Google's push against MS.
  • at this rate, if the the official instagram app ever comes to WP, the only way that I'll support it is if the current 3rd party apps no longer exist. I liken it to the family member that never came around until his sister or brother won the lottery.
  • Do any of these apps allow you to create an Instagram account?
  • Yes, the paid version of Itsdagram.
  • With Instagraph you can create Instagram accounts too, both on WP8 and WP7 (for wp7 Instagraph is the only available app to open a new account on Instagram ;)
  • I wish itsdagram would fix registration
  • Apparently instagram is deleting accounts who use a private API (or don't use the instagram lens)
  • If so, they are not Instagraph wp8 or wp7 users :)
    We don't use private API and pass all posted pictures to original Instagram 'neutral' lens too.
     
  • I was referring to Itsdagram. I should of been more detailed.
  • Works for me still.
  • Of course it still works. I'm just warning you guys.
  • It was a glitch. No one's account is being deleted. They just couldn't access their profiles for a while.
  • They aren't deleting anything. That was an error. Read more here. 
  • Thank you Sam. It worried me.
  • Good post! You forgot #2instawithmassivelove , this app has a free ad supported version, it let us upload photos to instagram and surf on the instagram website, it's available for windows phone 8 and 7. One of my favourite apps! Please, put it in this piece of news.
  • I'm using it, simple but works  :)
    I read that you do not use private API,is this true ?
    Thank you for the explanation (I bought it ;)
  • what about 
    Winstagram: uploader for WP7.x and 8 pay 1.99 
    http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/winstagram/0095040d-7abc-4695-af93-76c184544f27
     
    #2instanwithMASSIVElove complete client for WP 7.x and 8. free/pay 0.99 
    http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/2instawithmassivelove/0215d686-8224-42df-9ec6-74dd01846b45