Instagram announces web profiles, bringing mobile to the desktop

Instagram web profiles
Familiar feel?

Sepia-tinged photos aren't the only pony Instagram intends to trick out.

The Facebook-owned company announced Monday the introduction of "web profiles," personalized pages for users that bring it further into the Facebook fold.

Essentially, the pages are nothing more than desktop versions of the profiles found on the photo sharing site's mobile app, just transferred to the web.

Running across the top, above users' profile pictures and bios, are recently shared photos - similar to Facebook cover pics yet not static, offering a constant stream of new content.

Insta-connect

The perk of web profiles seems to be that users can share their profiles with whomever they want in a dynamic format, not the bare bones landing page of old.

"We're launching web profiles to give you a simple way to share your photos with more people and to make it easier to discover new users on the web," a blog heralding the announcement read.

Users can follow one another, comment and like pics, plus edit their profiles directly through the web.

The bulk of the page is taken up by a Timeline-like showing of photos, grouped by month and laid out chronologically.

To find their own pages or track down others, all users have to do is type in "instagram.com/[username]."

Instagram pointed out that it's committed to producing photos from mobile devices, meaning users won't yet be able to upload photos from the web, if ever.

Web profiles will roll out to all users in the next week or so, offering users (and businesses) a chance to brand themselves with a photographic, Facebook-like bent on the web.

Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.