Photo sharing app Instagram has just announced its newest feature via its official blog. The new feature lets users view Stories on desktop Internet browsers, as well as on their smartphones.
According to the blog post, users can now view stories via Instagram.com, using their desktop computers. These stories appear in their feeds, and it only requires a simple tap to be able to watch them. Tap either the left and right arrows to browse through the multiple stories.
“Stories has quickly become an important part of the Instagram experience — over 250 million people use it every day to see what their friends are doing in the moment.
Now we’re excited to bring stories to people who use Instagram on the web,” the photo sharing app shared in its official blog.
Desktop features
The new feature is set to be available in the next few days. Instagram has been a platform that mainly works on the users’ smartphones, with limited functions for desktops.
Presently, netizens have to download the actual application from their phone stores in order to upload images, as Instagram on the web does not allow them to post photos. However, the web-based version did let them view photos, but Stories prior to the new update that has just been announced.
“The dividing line between the two browsing methods is becoming increasingly blurred with this latest development,” PetaPixel’s Will Nicholls wrote.
In just a few months, the app will also allow netizens to post stories from the mobile web, Instagram noted in the blog.
Instagram hack
Meanwhile, The Verge reported that the photo sharing platform was recently hacked, affecting millions of accounts around the world. The incident had hackers scraping and jamming though the contact details of some users, such as their email addresses.
The hack first targeted verified accounts, which mostly belong to celebrities and public figures, but The Verge noted that it has also reached through non-verified accounts, which ordinary users hold. The issue was attended to, and the hack was removed.
The hackers managed to carry out the activity by establishing a searchable engine called Doxagram, which let users look for the victims’ contact details.
Doxagram was able to publish the private information, and it was made available for searching.
It temporarily publicized email addresses of the mostly followed people on the application. Some celebrities who were temporarily affected by the hack include Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Emma Watson, Neymar, David Beckham and more, The Verge reported.
