How to Develop a High Performing Social Media App Like Instagram

You will never find anyone who does not know what Instagram social media app is. According to stats, global Instagram users were around 815 million in 2019 which crossed 1 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach 1.2 billion users in 2023. There were lots of photo sharing mobile applications even before 2010 that are so unique with Instagram to have billions of active users around the globe. Let's see what makes Instagram so unique.

Instagram Social Media Application Unique Features

1) IGTV

IGTV as in Instagram TV is a feature that allows Instagram users to upload long-form, high-quality videos. With the usage of the IGTV feature, Instagram users can create various channels where they can upload videos between 15 seconds and 10 minutes in length. Instagram accounts with larger followers can upload videos that are up to 60 minutes long.

2) Instagram Live Video

You can broadcast your videos in real-time for your followers as a part of Instagram stories. You can even collaborate with other Instagram users in Instagram live. Your followers and other users can view your live and comment as well. Around 1 million people watch Instagram live every day.

3) Hashtag

A hashtag(#) is widely used on Instagram. It categorized the content to make it more discoverable. You can click the hashtag to check out other similar content. Instagram users use hashtags to enhance their shopping experience. Hashtags make the products discoverable.

4) Cross-platform Messaging

Cross-platform messaging allows users to send messages to the contacts on Facebook messengers without leaving Instagram and vice-versa. All you have to do is connect your Instagram account with your Facebook account and you are all set to share messages on both platforms.

5) Photo and video DM Sharing

Instagram messaging is known as Direct Message (DM) allows you to send messages and chat with one another. Instagram users can share text, photos, videos, feed posts, Instagram profiles as well. Users can now send messages and photos that can disappear after opening once.

Those are some of the features that make Instagram stand out from the crowd but what about you? How to make an app like Instagram? There are some of the exceptional features that you should have in social media applications like Instagram.

Must-Have Exceptional Features To Develop An App Like Instagram

• Login Authorization

Users should be able to sign up and log in to your mobile app seamlessly providing basic details such as email-id or phone number. You can allow cross-platform integration for login processes. That facilitates the users to log into their account through their Google or Facebook account.

• User Profile Creation

After successfully signing up in the mobile application, users should be able to enter basic personal information such as name, mobile number, gender, user name, profile photo, user bio, links and so on. The user name should be unique for each and every user and users should have the authority whether they want ti to share their contact information with others not. Users should have the independence to keep their profile private or public.

• Feed Management

This feature is the heart of the social media application. Users should be able to share photos and videos on their profile and should be able to view other users' photos and videos on their feed. Users should be able to add the caption or hashtag and tag other users as well in their posts. Users can like, comment and share the other users' posts through their feed.

• Cross-platform Integration

Allow your app users to share the post and messages with other users on different platforms such as Facebook, Whatsapp and so on. It enhances the user experience and attracts other users to use your platform as well. Hire app developers in Toronto that can customize this feature that can work as a marketing tool as well.

• Location Sharing:

Your users should be able to add the location on their photos or videos while uploading it to their profile. iOS app development Canada should be able to provide a personalization touch for this feature. Allow auto location detection as well as allow users to manually add the location for anywhere around the globe.

• Social Interaction:

Users should be able to like, share and comment on the other users' posts. Your app should send a push notification to the users for any social interaction their post. Users should be able to restrict the comments allowing a specific user base to comment under their posts. No one other than their own followers can view or share their post on any private user account. Users should be able to add the stories that will disappear after 24 hours of sharing. Users can also see the list of people who have viewed their stories.

• Post Customization:

Users should be able to edit their posts before sharing. They should be able to select multiple images to share and should be able to customize them individually. Users should be able to apply filters, crop or rotate them based on their requirements.

• Explore:

Users should be able to search user profiles, posts, hashtags, products and so on. users should be able to view the posts or profiles they might be interested in this section without searching anything.

• UX/UI Design:

This is the most crucial part of the entire social media application. So, do not compromise when it comes to hiring an exceptional Android app development Canada. Your pp should have a decent color scheme for your entire mobile app that can perfectly reflect your social media app name and logo. Your mobile app should provide seamless app navigation.

How Much Time An App Developer In Canada Can Take To Develop An App Like Instagram

• Login Authorization - 70 Hours with customization
• Profile Creation - 50 Hours with customization
• Feed Creation - 65 to 70 Hours
• Cross-platform Integration - 8 to 10 Hours
• Location sharing - 25 Hours
• Social Interaction - 120 to 125 Hours
• Explore - 70 Hours
• UI/UX design. - 50 to 60 Hours

Note: These are the approximate hours based on features you should have in your application. It can vary based on the mobile app developer's experience, technologies they use and features you want to leverage in your mobile app. Make sure to consult your app development team to get the accurate time they will when reach out to them to consult about How to create a social media app like Instagram.
Costing Estimation to Develop a Social Media Application like Instagram

No one can accurately respond to the question of how much does it cost to develop an app like Instagram. The cost of any mobile app development includes various factors such as app features, functionalities, designing, technologies to leverage, the strength of the development team occupied for the development process, along with the operating system you choose such as iOS app development or android app development and so on. Based on the above-listed features, a social media application like Instagram can take around 500 hours and the cost of mobile app development can be around $15,000. 

Conclusion

If you have a social media app idea like Instagram but have no idea how you can develop it or how much it can cost you. Don't worry, we have got your back covered. Reach out to the Hyperlink app development team to discuss the app idea and we will guide you about the further process.