Instagram has now introduced IGTV, their latest feature addition to the popular photo and video sharing app, as a new way of watching long-form, vertical video content. IGTV will be coming as a stand-alone app in addition to being built into the current Instagram app.
IGTV is different in a few ways. First, it's built for how you actually use your phone, so videos are full screen and vertical. Also, unlike on Instagram, videos aren't limited to one minute. Instead, each video can be up to an hour long.
We've made it simple, too. Just like turning on the TV, IGTV starts playing as soon as you open the app. You don't have to search to start watching content from people you already follow on Instagram and others you might like based on your interests. You can swipe up to discover more — switch between "For You," "Following," "Popular" and "Continue Watching." You can also like, comment and send videos to friends in Direct.
With IGTV, anyone is welcome to create content and to make things easier, you can upload that content via the app or through the Instagram website. If this sounds interesting to you, Instagram notes IGTV will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks on Android and iOS.
For now, though, you can check out the full announcement post as well as some of the help guides to getting started with IGTV right here. What do you all think? A YouTube challenger or nah?
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