Instagram Removes Boomerang, Hyperlapse Apps on App Stores After Killing IGTV

Instagram removes both Boomerang and Hyperlapse apps from the Android Google Play Store and the Apple App Store after killing its standalone IGTV platform.

Instagram Removes Boomerang, Hyperlapse Apps

As per a news story by Engadget, Instagram is not only bidding farewell to its IGTV app as previously announced by the social media giant.

It turns out that it is also ditching its dedicated apps for both its Hyperlapse and Boomerang features, social media consultant Matt Navarra, among other users, have discovered.

Although both Hyperlapse and Boomerang apps have already vanished into thin air in both the App Store and Play Store, Engadget reported that Boomerang is still available on Android, which is only accessible via a direct link to its listing.

However, when Android users search for the Boomerang app on the app marketplace of Google, it no longer shows up in the results.

According to a recent report by TechCrunch, data from Apptopia said that the two feature dedicated apps of Instagram were removed from the app stores last March 1.

Even before Boomerang vanished in the app marketplaces, Apptopia noted that it still had an impressive 26,000 downloads every single day, along with a staggering 301 million downloads in total.

Instagram's Video Features

It is worth noting that Instagram has previously announced that it is already letting go of its standalone IGTV app, saying that it is meant to improve the video-making platform of Insta.

Instagram said in a statement that the removal of the long-form video app, IGTV, is part of its "efforts to make video as simple as possible to discover and create."

However, during that time, Instagram did not mention anything regarding its other apps, such as Boomerang and Hyperlapse.

But with the direction of Insta, trying to simplify video creation, it sure does sound befitting that letting go of extra video apps, which could be inside the main app of Instagram, is the way to go.

Engadget noted that Instagram debuted the Hyperlapse and Boomerang apps, in 2014 and 2015, respectively. During that time, the social media platform is trying to keep its main app light to keep up with the performance of smartphones in those years.

However, with the yearly upgrade of mobile device performance, Instagram has also included more features on its main apps, such as its Snapchat and TikTok-like functionalities, known as Stories and the more recent Reels.

As such, simple features like Hyperlapse and Boomerang could easily be stuffed in the main app of IG without slowing down modern phones.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris