News in Detail

Instagram Gains Suggested Users, 7 New Languages and 2 New Filters

An update to Instagram, the popular photo-sharing app for the iPhone, has just hit the App Store. And while the version numbering (1.0.6) may not make it seem like a big update, there are a few notable things about the latest version.

First of all, in an effort to drive more social connections for new users, they’ve added a suggested users list. Second, they’ve added seven new languages (Japanese, German, Russian, French, Chinese, Italian, and Spanish). Third, they’ve fixed a number of bugs and increased performance. And finally, for the first time, they’ve also added two new filters into the mix.

The suggested users feature may draw a bit of controversy given what it did for certain users on Twitter (like our TechCrunch account). But the reality is that it’s an obvious and easy way to get new users engaged. Co-founder Kevin Systrom tells us that the feature is partially algorithmic, based on your location and language. But going forward they hope to make it much more algorithmic and less about them selecting people.

The two new filters are called “Sutro” and “Toaster”. I’m sure you’ll be seeing them all over Twitter shortly. Humorously, the latter appears to be named after Kevin Rose’s new little adorable puppy.