Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and launched on 6 October 2010 on Apple's App Store. It began as a simple iPhone app for sharing photos with filters, cut down from an earlier check-in app called Burbn.
The next thing worth knowing is how fast the big moments came. Instagram reached Android in April 2012, and that same month Facebook agreed to buy it. So within its first two years, the app went from a tiny iPhone-only launch to part of one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Everything you use today, from Stories to Reels, was added later, one feature at a time.
Instagram's history at a glance: 2010 to 2025
Here's the timeline in one place. I've kept it to the moments that changed how people use the app, with the dates from Instagram's and Meta's own announcements.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Instagram launches on 6 October on Apple's App Store. It's iPhone-only, built around square photos and filters. |
| 2012 | The Android app arrives in April. In the same month, Facebook agrees to buy Instagram. |
| 2013 | Video posts arrive, followed by Instagram Direct for private messages. |
| 2016 | Stories launch in August: photos and videos that disappear from view after a day. |
| 2018 | IGTV launches for longer videos (it was later folded back into regular Instagram video). In September, Systrom and Krieger leave the company. |
| 2020 | Reels launch in August, bringing short vertical videos with music and effects into the app. |
| 2021 | In October, Facebook Inc. renames itself Meta. Instagram stays Instagram. |
| 2023 | Threads, a text-based app tied to your Instagram account, launches in July. |
| 2025 | Edits, Instagram's own video editing app, launches in April. |
The catch most people miss: Instagram started on iPhone only
Plenty of people assume Instagram was on every phone from day one. It wasn't. For its first year and a half, you needed an iPhone to use it. The Android app didn't arrive until April 2012, and that's a big part of why early Instagram felt like a small, tight community of photographers, designers and early adopters.
It also explains a quirk of the app you still see today. Instagram was designed phone-first, and for years the computer version could barely do anything. If you've ever wondered why posting from a laptop felt like an afterthought, that's the reason: the phone was always the main event.
Where the name Instagram came from
The name is a blend of two words: "instant camera" and "telegram". The idea was simple. You take a photo in an instant, and you send it out to people the way a telegram sends a message. Short, fast and visual.
That thinking shows up in the original design too. The first version leaned on square photos that looked a bit like old instant prints, and the filters gave everyday phone shots a warm, vintage feel. At the time, phone cameras weren't great, so filters weren't just decoration. They made ordinary pictures look like something you'd want to share.
The Burbn pivot: how a check-in app became a photo app
Before Instagram, Kevin Systrom built an app called Burbn. It was a check-in app: you told friends where you were, made plans and shared photos along the way. It tried to do a lot of things at once.
Systrom and Krieger decided to strip it back. They cut almost everything and kept one thing: sharing photos, with filters to make them look good. That stripped-down app became Instagram.
It's one of the best-known pivots in tech, and the lesson is easy to miss because it sounds so obvious. They didn't add features to win people over. They removed them until only the part people wanted was left.
Why the pivot still matters
- One clear job beats ten half-jobs. People could explain Instagram in a sentence, which made it easy to recommend to a friend.
- Simple is easier to build well. A small team could make one thing fast and reliable instead of many things that wobbled.
- New features came later, on top of a habit. Video, Direct, Stories and Reels were added once people already opened the app every day.
What Instagram is today
Instagram is now owned by Meta, the company that also runs Facebook and WhatsApp. It's no longer just a photo app. In one place you've got the feed, Stories, Reels, Direct messages, Notes, Close Friends, shopping features and professional tools for businesses and creators.
Two newer apps sit alongside it:
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- Threads launched in July 2023 as a text-first app. You sign in with your Instagram account, and it's built for conversations rather than pictures.
- Edits launched in April 2025 as Instagram's own video editing app, aimed at people making Reels on their phone.
The feed itself has changed many times too. It moved from a simple time-ordered list to a mix of people you follow and suggested posts, and you can still switch views if you want to see accounts you follow in order. If that's something you'd like to set up, here's my guide on how to change your Instagram feed.
And if you're new to the app or coming back after a break, the basics haven't changed as much as you'd think. My walk-through on how to post on Instagram covers photos, carousels and Reels step by step.
What Instagram's history tells a small business today
Looking back over the timeline, a few patterns stand out, and they're useful if you run a small business or a personal brand on the app.
- Instagram keeps adding formats, and the new one usually gets attention. Stories in 2016 and Reels in 2020 both changed what people saw first. When a new format arrives, it's worth trying early rather than waiting.
- The core habit hasn't changed. Since 2010, people have opened Instagram to look at things. Clear photos and short, watchable videos still do the heavy lifting.
- Simple wins. The Burbn story is a reminder to make your profile do one clear job. Say who you help and what you offer in plain words.
- Trust signals matter more as the app grows. With so many accounts, people look for signs that you're real. If that's on your list, read my guide on how to get verified on Instagram.
If it were my account, I'd take the lesson from the founders themselves: pick the one thing your followers come to you for, do it well every week, and try each new format when it lands instead of a year later.
Frequently asked questions
Who created Instagram?
Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. They launched it on 6 October 2010 on Apple's App Store, after cutting down an earlier app Systrom had built called Burbn.
When did Instagram come to Android?
The Android app arrived in April 2012. Before that, Instagram was iPhone-only for its first year and a half.
Who owns Instagram now?
Meta owns Instagram. Facebook agreed to buy it in April 2012, and Facebook Inc. renamed itself Meta in October 2021.
What was Instagram called before it was Instagram?
It grew out of Burbn, a check-in app. The founders cut Burbn down to photo sharing with filters and relaunched it under the name Instagram, a blend of instant camera and telegram.
When did Instagram Stories and Reels start?
Stories launched in August 2016 and Reels launched in August 2020. Both are now central to how people use the app.
