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Windows Phone gets a fully featured Instagram app, but not from Instagram

Windows Phone gets a fully featured Instagram app, but not from Instagram

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6tag Windows Phone
6tag Windows Phone

Windows Phone is finally getting a fully featured Instagram app, but not an official version from Facebook. French developer Rudy Huyn has created 6tag for Windows Phone, previously known as 6tagram before Instagram's new guidelines, that includes the majority of the Instagram features found on the official iOS and Android versions. 6tag provides access to the original filters found in Instagram, video uploads, and the linear and radial blur effects. Huyn has also added support for sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, VK, and Foursquare.

6tag is free to download, but it's worth noting this is an unofficial third-party Instagram app and could stop working at any time if Facebook changes any of its APIs. The release comes just weeks after Instagram altered its spam filters and started deleting and blocking photos uploaded from third-party Instagram apps. Facebook tweaked its Instagram spam filters to reverse the change, allowing third-party Instagram apps to continue uploading photos to its service. Facebook has previously stated it's "focused on building the best Instagram experience possible for people using iOS and Android devices," and that ultimately it wants to bring Instagram to everyone who wants to use it. The Verge understands that Microsoft built an Instagram app for Windows Phone months ago, but the company has been unable to release it. Instagram refuses to comment on if and when it plans to bring an official app to Windows Phone, so for now 6tag is the best alternative.

Update: Some Windows Phone developers have raised privacy concerns over Huyn's 6tag application. Rafael Rivera details how 6tag allegedly keeps a copy of public and private videos, and fails to encrypt private account data — including a username and authentication token. 6tag also appears to lack a privacy policy, a requirement for certification on the Windows Phone Store. We've reached out to Rudy Huyn and Microsoft about the concerns, and we'll update you accordingly.

Update 2: Huyn has now released an update to 6tag to address the privacy policy issues.