Photos shared to Instagram through the third-party Windows Phone app Instance are now suddenly being removed from the service almost as soon as they’re uploaded.
Instagram is yet to release a native app for Microsoft’s struggling mobile operating system, which has incentivized a number of independent developers to create their own unofficial offerings.
Instance is arguably the most popular but according to app creator Daniel Gary, users are no longer able to upload photographs to the Instagram platform. TNW’s own tests have verified the situation; Instance uploads are shown for a very short period of time, before disappearing entirely.
Evidently Instagram has little spies that watch every @WindowsPhone user and deletes their images after uploading. #onlythingicanthinkof
— Daniel Gary (@danielgary) July 30, 2013
It’s unclear at this point whether the automatic deletions are a technical problem, or an intentional decision by Instagram to disincentivize third-party applications on the Windows Phone platform.
“I do think this was a deliberate move by Instagram, not against Windows Phone, but locking down their API,” Grey told TNW. ” This update actually happened when they released video support, but they didn’t lock out old users until most had already upgraded to version 4.0+.”
He continued: “Everyone is screaming about how wrong Instagram is for doing this. They aren’t. I hope I can get around it and get Instance working again, but they have every right to try to lock out third party apps.”
The issue follows the release of Hipstamatic Oggl for Nokia Lumia handsets, which also offers direct sharing to Instagram.
Update:
A spokesperson for Instagram told TNW: “We recently made an update to the systems that we use to fight spam to help prevent future attacks and increase security. As part of this, applications accessing Instagram against the terms of our API may also be affected. This update does not specifically target any particular app or platform.”
Image Credit: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
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