A Short Guide To Making An Instagram-Like App

In today's digital world, there is a huge demand for apps where people can share their photos and videos. Take a look at Instagram; it was the most downloaded app in 2021's fourth quarter. The app has over 2 billion monthly active users. 

However, building an app like Instagram is a giant undertaking in itself. Many questions need to be addressed first like: 

1. What features to add to the application? 
2. The cost of building the app
3. From where to hire developers to develop the app? 

This blog will address them step-by-step. So, by the end, you will have the knowledge to begin working on your app. 

List of Recommended App Features Based on GoodFirms Research

Five essential features that you should incorporate into your application: 

Downloading Reels on the Device

Reels are short, entertaining videos that enable people to express their creativity and bring brands to life. People use reels to participate in cultural trends, collaborate with their community, and discover new ideas. Here are some examples. 

British clothing manufacturers Lucy and Yak use reels to show off their unique items. They use the #InMyYaks campaign as the hook for the reels. Their fans have also adopted the hashtag to show off their outfits.   

Allow people to download the reel directly from the app. In the case of Instagram, users have to rely on third-party apps or screen-recording, which is a hassle. So, this feature will be a great addition to your app.   

Image Editing Within the Tool

People love to edit their photos before posting them on social media. They often take a selfie and find out that it is not as outstanding and beautiful as they desire. Everyone wants others to like their picture, so that's where image editing steps in. With its help, people can improve their photographs, making them more beautiful and unique.  

Here are some examples of how people use image editing to change the look and feel of their photos. 

                                                               (Quora) 

                                                              (Quora) 

So, image editing within your app will enable people to be creative with their photos. A noteworthy feature to have. 

Calendar and Grid Planner

The calendar will allow people and brands to view their organic and paid social media campaigns weekly or monthly. It will make it easy to manage all campaigns in one place. 

A calendar will allow one to view scheduled drafts and ads, keep track of monthly views and plan new content for the future. Brands and individual users can also edit, reschedule, or delete scheduled posts. Rescheduling will require moving it to a different time slot. This is how a social media calendar looks like:  

A calendar will also notify if a specific post couldn't be published. Ensure that your app provides icons and color-coding to differentiate between drafts, scheduled content, and posts that are already published.  

Grid planner is a tool that will allow people and brands to plan out their profiles. 

They can preview what the profile will look like once scheduled posts are published. It's beneficial in creating a specific theme or visual layout.  

Take a Break Feature

This feature will let users know how much time they have spent on your app and encourages taking a break from it. With this feature, you will be able to raise awareness about mental health and well-being that can be affected if one uses social media too much.  

Studies have shown that using social media too much can lead to depression, body image concerns, self-esteem issues, social anxiety, and other problems. Social media apps exploit the user's biological drive for social belonging. So, it nudges them to keep on scrolling. 

Quote Request From App

The 'quotes request' feature will allow brands to add a Get Quote button on their profile. I also recommend making it available on your app's stories, allowing users to request a quote about a specific product or service the business is promoting on their account. 

Apart from these, here are the general features that you should integrate into your app: 

1. Sign Up/Login and Manage User Profile
2. Home page with Live Feed
3. Search People
4. Follow People
5. Add Photos/Videos with descriptions
6. Share Photo/Video via chat
7. Short videos aka reels
8. Can upload stories
9. Various filters 
10. Live Video Feature
11. IGTV

The Cost of Building An Instagram-Like App

Based on GoodFirms research, the average cost of building an Instagram-like app is $1,43,728, and it will take approximately thirteen months.  

As you can see, compared to 2018, the prices have increased in 2022. It's because apps are getting more complex. The structure, features, and interface have drastically changed. 

You must continually update your app with the newest features to remain relevant in this cutthroat market. All this adds to the complexity. Also, we must not forget the rising inflation globally. 

Building an application requires a team. So, you have two choices here: 

1. Outsource the app development to an external company.
2. Build an in-house team.

It's best to outsource app development to an external agency as there are significant benefits related to it: 

1. Speeds up app development: The company you hire will work exclusively on your software. So, there will be no distractions or additional tasks that can hinder the development process. 
2. Try out newer technologies: Technology is continually evolving, and outsourcing will allow you to try out the latest one, eliminating the need to re-hiring a talented team for it. So, you won't have to worry about establishing a new team before trying out new technology. 
3. Get Access To Pool Of Developers: Outsourcing will give you the freedom to recruit developers from all over the world as per your requirements. There won't be any geographical limitation in selecting the team. You will have the option to choose the best. 
4. Better Proficiency: Outsourcing companies you hire will be highly proficient in mobile app development. They know the best practices. Hence your app will be scalable and versatile without spending any extra money.

Check out Goodtal to hire the best mobile app developers. You will get access to reliable and trustworthy mobile app development solutions. The companies listed there provide end-to-end services at an affordable rate. 

For Further Information

To get into the nitty-gritty of the mobile app development process, check out GoodFirms research on building apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Tinder, and Uber. You will learn the step-by-step process that goes into building mobile apps in detail.