Instagram is finally releasing a collage-focused app, called Layout, which makes making collages easy.
The app is currently available to iOS users and an Android version is expected to be released in the coming months.
"Today we're announcing Layout from Instagram, a new app that lets you easily combine multiple photos into a single image. It's fun, it's simple and it gives you a new way to flex your creativity," said Instagram in a statement.
Using the app is simple. Users choose which photos they want to include in the layout, after which the photos can be mirrored, flipped or replaced. Users can also resize the images in the collage. Of course, users can also add filters to the photos.
Collages created will not be automatically uploaded to Instagram, allowing users to mess around with the app a little more without having to put their art on display. The app also includes a "Photo Booth" feature, which allows users to take a series of pictures in succession. These photos will automatically be put into one of the default formats of the app.
Many see the move as a good one for Instagram. While many users use third-party apps for making collages, posting collages has been very popular on Instagram for a while now. Rather than adding features to Instagram, Layout means that Instagram can keep its highly regarded simplicity while offering users more features and abilities.
"Instagram is really simple and that's what people love about it," said Joshua Dickens, product designer for Layout, in an interview. "Building [Layout] into the main app would inherently make it more complicated."
The idea of offering more apps and unbundling services is one that has become very popular among tech companies of late, especially for Instagram's parent company, Facebook. Facebook rather famously stopped allowing users to use Messenger services in the core Facebook app, instead requiring them to download the dedicated Messenger app itself.
The Layout app continues the trend of simplicity for Instagram, skipping over features like stickers and video support in favor of delivering a great core service. For those who do want a plethora of features, there is still a range of third-party apps for collages on the App Store and on the Google Play Store.
Many, however, suggest that Instagram could have offered a little more in the app, while keeping the simplicity that Instagram is known for.
This is the second spin-off app that Instagram has released, the first being Hyperlapse, which allows users to create time-lapse videos.
