Skip to main content

Facebookagram, anyone? Instagram's Android beta just got photo albums

instagram albums news app smartphone ios android
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Instagram is set to make its photo-sharing tools a little (or a lot) more like Facebook. The company is testing a new feature for its app that will allow users to share multiple photos at a time — exactly like Facebook’s photo albums.

The feature isn’t available through the consumer version of the app just yet, but it is currently live in the beta version of Instagram’s Android app, and if it’s successful, it will most likely make its way to the full Instagram app on both Android and iOS.

According to a report from Mashable, the feature allows users to select up to 10 photos and combine all of those photos into a single post — which is basically an album. It’s not yet known exactly how these posts will appear in a news feed, as the beta version doesn’t yet allow users to actually post those groups of photos — but some presume that it would appear kind of like the app’s “carousel” ads, in which users can swipe through photos.

If you do have the beta version of the Android app, it’s pretty easy to upload multiple photos. Just follow the steps you normally would, then hold down a photo. You’ll then have the option to select multiple photos, and even upload videos.

It remains to be seen how Instagram itself might change if the feature goes live. Currently, there’s a heavy emphasis on creating individual photos and making them the best you possibly can — if albums are introduced, single photos may become a little less important.

It’s worth noting that there’s no guarantee just yet that the feature will ever go live, but it being in the official beta is promising — much more promising than if it was rolled out to a small selection of users for testing.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Motorola just launched 3 new Android phones, and they look incredible
Motorola Edge 40 Neo color choices.

Following Apple's recent iPhone 15 event, Motorola has launched a line of impressive new smartphones that offer sleek, modern designs at affordable prices. The Motorola Edge 40 Neo, Moto G84 5G, and Moto G54 5G are available in several markets, including the United Kingdom.

With a starting price of 300 British pounds ($375), the Motorola Edge 40 Neo is a slim device with curved edges and IP68 protection for added durability. It features a 50MP Ultra Pixel camera sensor with all-pixel focus technology, which should offer solid photo quality. The camera also provides 16x faster lowlight performance, making it perfect for nighttime photography.

Read more
The first Android 14 beta just landed — here’s everything that’s new
Screenshots of Android 14, showing the new back gesture button and share pop-up.

The first open beta of Android 14 has been released by Google for compatible Pixel smartphones. This is a public beta and not a develop-centric build, which means you can install it on your phone without any technical hassles. All you need to do is have a compatible Pixel device, register for the Android 14 beta testing program, and you will get the update via the OTA channel like a regular software update on your phone.

Now, Android 14’s first public beta is a tad light on user-facing features in its current avatar, but more tricks might be added down the road. One of the most notable tweaks is that the back arrow identifier, which appears on the screen when you swipe left or right in order to go back to the previous page, is now more prominent. Google says the larger arrow helps “improve back gesture understanding and usefulness” and that it will play well with the Material You theming system.

Read more
Instagram used to be one of my favorite apps — now I can’t stand it
A Galaxy S23 Ultra running Instagram. On the screen, there's an orange guitar.

Instagram is dying a slow, drawn-out death, and I don't think that I'm the only one to notice. The app has been at the center of controversy after controversy as Meta continuously shifts around its ambitions for it, tries to compete with other social media giants like TikTok, and packs itself full to bursting with suggested posts and a relentless number of advertisements. It feels like Meta is doing its best in order to maximize profits and draw users in, but from everyone I've talked to who feels the same as I do, we're only being pushed away.

As it's desperately tried to find a new identity, Instagram has become completely useless to me. It's an app full of content I don't care about that's plastered floor-to-ceiling with ads that have me closing it each time — feeling frustrated and that I might as well delete it to save myself some time and storage space.
Remembering what Instagram used to be

Read more