Instagram reportedly testing a new portrait mode in its camera app

We recently heard about Instagram introducing voice and video calling on the platform, and today, a new report from TechCrunch suggests that the company could be testing a new portrait mode for the camera. As per the report, a “portrait shutter icon” was found buried inside the Instagram Android app. 

The new feature could possibly allow users to click bokeh shots, or pictures with blurred background or lighting effects as seen on latest iPhones. Although, Instagram has not given any statement regarding the new feature. The company did not comment on the discovery of the portrait mode and declined a comment to TechCrunch.

Starting with the iPhone 7 Plus, a lot of smartphone followed the portrait shooting mode to click DSLR like photos in the native camera app. Since, more and more users are now a days using the in-app camera for clicking pictures, the new feature might come in handy for some of them. It is yet to be seen if the app uses the phone’s camera capabilities to shoot such pictures or it will be solely dependent on software. 

Instagram was seen borrowing various features like stories, AR, GIFs and filters from Snapchat in the past. The portrait mode is also getting popular, so there are good chances of it making its way to the app. 

Sudhanshu Singh

Sudhanshu Singh have been working in tech journalism as a reporter, writer, editor, and reviewer for over 5 years. He has reviewed hundreds of products ranging across categories and have also written opinions, guides, feature articles, news, and analysis. Ditching the norm of armchair journalism in tech media, Sudhanshu dug deep into how emerging products and services affect actual users, and what marks they leave on our cultural landscape.
His areas of expertise along with writing and editing include content strategy, daily operations, product and team management.