James Walker Posts, Stories, Instagram TV, and other Instagram services have all found a place in the daily routines of digital marketers.
You might find Instagram online more convenient if you do most of your work on a computer, but you might be confused about how to switch over and whether or not you can access all of the same features as on the mobile app.
Comparing Instagram on the Web to Instagram on the App
When it first debuted in October 2010, Instagram was only accessible through mobile device. It was a social network meant to show off your life through pictures and filters, so its developers presumably didn’t see the need in making an online version.
The creation of the instagram.com domain in November 2012 altered this, allowing feeds to be seen on personal computers. However, there were a lot of restrictions in this edition. There was no integrated search function or user-generated content stream.
The app has always taken precedence, but the online version has gradually been upgraded with additional capabilities. Here are the current limitations of the Instagram online app.
Features Available on the Instagram Website
You can access your standard Instagram feed, Stories, and alerts by logging in.
Engage with the updates and Stories of other people.
Stay still while the video plays. The web-based version is the only one with this feature. When viewing on a mobile device, tapping a video will only play or mute the audio.
Use direct communication.
Attend real-time events. This function was initially available on mobile devices only. Instagram, however, has just made this feature accessible to online users who want to see live feeds on their own computers. Videos may be seen in a more comfortable size, and viewers can read the comments with the content rather than having them overlay.
You can deactivate or terminate your account through the web interface without permanently erasing it. When you log back in, your temporarily disabled account will be restored.
Instagram TV supports videos up to 60 minutes in length. The video’s first minute can be uploaded directly to your feed.
Do not immediately post photographs and videos (up to 1 minute in length) to your feed or stories on Instagram Web. Instagram marketing may be handled entirely from a desktop computer. However, only the mobile app allows you to upload content.
Buying things on Instagram. Images with tagged items will not display correctly on Instagram online since the app does not enable Shopping.
It would appear that marketers have no choice but to use the mobile version in order to publish material if they want to include photographs and videos. There is, however, a quicker way to access Instagram’s full features on the web.
Instagram for Desktop Users: A Guide
Connect and Explore
Simply entering the URL of a public Instagram profile will load that account in your browser.
Log in using your username and password at www.instagram.com before you can access the rest of your account’s capabilities.
When you do, you’ll be sent to an enlarged version of the Instagram feed you’re used to. There are two columns of content and a navigation bar across the top.
The posts from your feed will appear in the primary column on the left. Scroll down to check out the latest content, click to view a gallery of photographs or videos, like or comment on posts, etc. Everything that was available on the mobile app is now available here.
Create Content for Instagram TV
It’s important to know that you may upload your IGTV videos straight from the online version if you’ve included Instagram TV into your marketing plan.
With this function, you may add videos up to 60 minutes in length. You may avoid burdening people’s phones with massive downloads by uploading them straight from the Instagram online interface. Let’s break down the procedure into its individual parts.
- Go to www.instagram.com and sign in.
- Select the TV tab while using Instagram.
- The “upload” button must be clicked.
- To add a video from your computer, just click the “+” button. The file can also be dropped by dragging it.
- Make sure your video has a catchy title and description. Keep in mind that you may post a sneak peek of the film on your Instagram profile or feed, or on the Facebook page for your business.
- All you have to do is hit the “Publish” button.
Instagram Web Tip for Sharing Photos and Videos
Finally, let’s look at a workaround that brings all of Instagram’s functionality, including photo and video uploading, to Instagram’s desktop site.
It’s not hard at all! Instagram has to be “convinced” that you are using a mobile browser. Despite appearances, all it takes is a few mouse clicks to accomplish. All popular browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, support this feature. Search “change user agent” with the name of your browser for specific instructions.
After making this adjustment, the current tab (in this example, Instagram) will reload with the mobile version of the site. If you don’t see the updated version right away, try refreshing the page.
The Vivaldi browser offers a feature called “Web Panels” that displays the mobile version of a site from the web, making it a viable alternative to changing the user agent on a regular basis.