Instagram coming to Android 'really soon'
With news that the iOS-only photo sharing app has swelled to 27 million registered users, Instagram is now on its way to Android.
In the near future, Android users will be able to start sharing photos on Instagram, according to TechCrunch.
The popular app is coming "really soon," the app's founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger said at a South by Southwest conference presentation today. "In some ways, it's better than our iOS app. It's crazy," Systrom said.
Instagram is a free photo sharing app that let's users touch up and share photos with other followers on the app; pictures can also be uploaded to social-networking sites like Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. Some describe Instagram as a visual version of Twitter and until now it was only available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
According to TechCrunch, Krieger and Systrom said that the people at Google are happy with the way the app is turning out. "I don't think it took us so long. We just had priorities," Systrom said. "Had we tried to be both on Android and iPhone at the same time, it would've been tough to innovate in the way that we have."
Last week, rumors leaked that Instagram was on the verge of raising $40 million from investors that would value the startup at $500 million. However, neither of the company's founders confirmed this deal during their presentation at SXSW, reports TechCrunch.
When Instagram first launched in 2010, some 25,000 users signed on and it continued to grow rapidly. By December, the company said it had a base of more than 15 million users, according to TechCrunch. Today, Krieger and Systrom announced that they now have 27 million registered users. Much of this growth, they said, came with the launch of the iPhone 4S and Apple naming Instagram "App of the Year."