Instagram, a photo-sharing social platform owned by Meta (formerly Facebook), has removed the Boomerang and Hyperlapse apps from Apple and Google’s app stores. While it is to be expected that the company will gradually shut down the IGTV app, the removal of these two apps is surprising.
The Hyperlapse app first launched in 2014, followed by the video looping app Boomerang in 2015. As of now, Boomerang is reportedly still available for download via a direct link, but it no longer appears in search results. The apps were quietly taken down without official notice, but Meta said it pulled them to focus on the development of the main app.
Last year, Instagram shut down Thread, a standalone app designed to let users share photos, videos, messages and stories with friends on the Instagram platform. Instagram’s last spinoff, Layout, doesn’t seem to be affected, at least for now.
Looks like instagram has gotten rid of their Boomerang and Hyper Lapse apps, but they still have Layout. @MattNavarra pic.twitter.com/Baq4jkSeR4
— Kendall (Zac) 🏳️🌈 (@KenSchillinger) March 7, 2022
Data shows that since March 1, the two apps Hyperlapse and Boomerang are no longer in the app store. The data also shows that Hyperlapse has 23 million downloads worldwide, with Boomerang having even more downloads.
HyperLapse and Boomerang were launched as standalone apps because at the time Facebook and Instagram were concerned that the main app would be too complex. Today, the problem is less of a concern, as Instagram continues to compete with apps like Snapchat and TikTok by regularly adding new features and functions to its main app to compete for users.
While the removal of the Hyperlapse and Boomerang apps is surprising, Instagram has told users that the IGTV app will be shut down.
In October, Facebook said it would merge IGTV’s long-form video format with regular video in the feed and increase the length of those videos (up to 60 minutes). IGTV will be renamed “Instagram TV” as the main app will focus on providing a more “seamless” video experience. But last week, Instagram changed its plans again, announcing that it would shut down the standalone IGTV app entirely.
In addition, Instagram also reiterated at the time that it would continue to provide Reels, a short video feature, and pointed out that this feature has made the greatest contribution to the increase in user engagement on the Instagram app.