IGTV, short for Instagram TV, was a video application by

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for Android and

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smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

s. It allowed for longer videos compared to Instagram feeds. IGTV was available as a stand-alone app, though basic functionality was also available within the Instagram app and website. The service was launched and introduced by former Instagram CEO

Kevin Systrom Kevin Systrom (born December 30, 1983) is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur. He co-founded Instagram, along with Mike Krieger. Systrom was included on the list of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 2016. Under Systrom as CE ...

in a live event in

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on June 20, 2018, featuring creators such as Lele Pons.

Service

IGTV required users to log in with an Instagram account.

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s allowed uploads of up to 15 minutes in length with a file size of up to 650 MB, while desktop web browsers allowed uploads of up to 60 minutes in length with a file size of up to 3.6 GB. The app auto-played videos as soon as it was launched, which

contrasted to video hosts where one must first locate a video. Instagram accounts with an IGTV channel received an IGTV tab on their profile page. Additionally, uploads on IGTV could be mirrored to a linked

Facebook page Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of ...

. In May 2019, IGTV gained the ability to upload landscape videos. The standalone app was not widely adopted. In January 2020, it was reported that it only had around 7 million users. In October 2021, Instagram began to merge IGTV's functionality into the main Instagram app, including its video upload and editing functionality, changing the IGTV tab on user profiles to simply "Video"—which included IGTV posts and existing in-feed videos and live streams (though excluding Reels , its short-form video format), and updating the video playback interface. Instagram stated that the standalone app would remain operational for the time being. In February 2022, Instagram announced that IGTV would be discontinued in March 2022, electing to focus on video functionality in the main app (including Reels).

References

External links

{{Online social networking 2018 software 2018 introductions 2018 establishments in California IOS software Mobile software Proprietary cross-platform software Social software Video software Instagram Vertical video