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.
