Browse Instagram In A New Way With InstaFlow
InstaFlow (Free) by Orange Labs is a new way to look at your Instagram feed.
I’m pretty sure that everyone knows about Instagram at this point, and it’s definitely an addictive little app to use. However, have you ever wondered if there was a better way to browse through Instagram? A great solution is found in InstaFlow.
InstaFlow is basically a more intuitive way of going through Instagram than the default method. Of course, this only works as a browser – if you want to actually upload photos to the micro social network, you will have to use the official app. In order to use InstaFlow, you will have to grant the app access to your Instagram account via the API.
Once you are logged in though, the experience is delightful. You will see several stacks of photos, the default being: Popular, Feed, Preferred, and My Photos. There is also a Help stack that explains the basics of using InstaFlow. To open any stack, just tap on it. Additionally, there is a toolbar at the top of the app that will remain there while you browse. It contains useful features, such as going back to the main screen of the app (where the stacks are), keyword search, filter (tag, user, or place), and settings.
To browse, just tap on the stack you want to see. Or you can search for a specific keyword and save it as a stack for future reference. When a stack is opened, you will see thumbnails of the images in that stack, and tapping on a photo will open it. On an opened photo, you can see how many likes and comments a photo has received in an overlay. If the photo has tags on it, you can see how many there are and view them in an overlay as well. Tapping the photo itself will take you to the user’s profile, where you can view all of their Instagram photos.
You can navigate through the photos in a stack in order by swiping left and right. If you would rather relax and go through all the photos in a stack without all the swiping, you can just tap on the Play button at the bottom. This will launch a slideshow of all the photos in the current stack. There is an “i” button that will also show more information on the photo, and you can follow/unfollow a user, and leave a comment on the photo. Tapping on the heart in the top corner will give that photo a “like” (doing this on a search will save the search as a stack on the main screen).
Now, you may have gone deep into a stack and are wondering how to go back one without having to go back to the main screen. No worries! InstaFlow utilizes natural multitouch gestures to navigate – tap to view something, pinch inwards to go back one level. Pinching outwards on a photo will allow you to zoom in and out on a photo.
InstaFlow has a settings screen, but it doesn’t contain much besides logging out, contacting the developers, and some other information stuff.
I found InstaFlow to be very intuitive to use, and the design is pretty good. I just love how natural it feels to browse though, since it makes full use of native iOS gestures; I wish Instagram would incorporate it in the future. It’s definitely a nice alternative to browse Instagram, though you will still have to use the official app if you want to do any image sharing of your own.
However, if you are more of an Instagram browser than sharer, then InstaFlow is definitely worth checking out. Since the app is free (and universal for your iPhone and iPad), there’s nothing to lose by trying it. Let us know what you think in the comments below!
