Skip to main content

The Instagram user count is on pace to hit a billion in 2018

Instagram's newest feature lets users in on its algorithm.
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Instagram is closing on on user numbers in the billions. On Monday, September 25, the social media platform shared that the number of monthly active users is now at 800 million. The latest Instagram user count shows a growth of 100 million users in about four months and if that trend continues at the same pace, Instagram could hit one billion as early as 2018.

The latest numbers come from an Advertising Week presentation in New York City on September 25. Along with the growth in users that share on the platform monthly, Instagram now boasts 500 million users that are active every day.

Recommended Videos

The growth is the second time that Instagram has added 100 million monthly active users over a span of four months. In just a five-month span, Instagram has also doubled the number of advertisers, with the number now sitting at 2 million advertisers.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Instagram is still less than half of Facebook’s now two billion monthly active users but boasts a pretty fast growth rate. Instagram says that video is also rapidly expanding on the platform, with growth up 80 percent year over year just on the amount of time users spend watching videos. Now, more than four times as many videos are shared every day than the numbers from just a year ago.

The latest numbers still put Instagram ahead of Snapchat’s 173 million daily active users. Despite launching a Stories feature first, Instagram has more users who share the brief auto-play videos of their day. Stories is one of the several factors that’s believed to be helping drive Instagram’s fast-paced growth.

Since its last numbers showed 100 million fewer monthly active users, Instagram has implemented a number of updates that fine-tune the platform’s current features. Comments are easier to navigate with a threaded layout that groups replies together. Galleries no longer have to be in the square aspect ratio (though they all must have the same shape). Instagram Stories are expanding outside the app to mobile browsers. And another small change makes mutual followers easy to spot. All those updates launched after Instagram’s previous numbers were released.

While updated international data wasn’t shared in this presentation, the previous count showed that 80 percent of Instagram users reside outside of the U.S.

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
How to get verified on Instagram Threads
A verified account on Instagram Threads.

Like Twitter and Instagram, Instagram Threads allows users to become verified to confirm their identities and access some exclusive features. Similar to Twitter's verification process, you'll need to pay a monthly fee to be verified on Threads, so keep that price in mind as you get your verified Threads account set up.

So, without further ado, here's how to get verified on Instagram Threads in a few straightforward steps.

Read more
How to remove location data from your iPhone photos
How to transfer photos from an iPhone to an iPhone

We all love making memories, and a great way to collect those memories is to take a quick snap of a gorgeous landscape, a party in full swing, or a particularly incredible meal. The Apple iPhone now also adds a location to your pictures, meaning it can collate those images together into a location-themed album, or show you all the shots you've taken in a specific location. It's a fun little addition, and it's one that adds a lot of personality to the Photos app.

Read more
‘Photoshopped’ royal photo causes a stir
The Princess of Wales with her children.

[UPDATE: In a message posted on social media on Monday morning, Princess Kate said that she herself edited the image, and apologized for the fuss that the picture had caused. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she wrote, adding, "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."]

Major press agencies have pulled a photo of the U.K.’s Princess of Wales and her children amid concerns that it has been digitally manipulated.

Read more