Discover Instagraph, the IG client for Ubuntu touch, based on Prostogram!

The Instagraph application for Ubuntu Touch is again able to work with Instagram, the famous social media where you can publish Images and Stories.

Despite being an unofficial client, the app manages to work in all the fundamental functions of a contemporary Instagram client. The following are working:

• The post feed
• The Discovery (search) feed
• The personal profile section, quite editable
• Stories, viewing and uploading (so basic here)
• Direct messages works

On Instagram there are already several images with the hashtag #instagraph:
You can find them at: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/instagraph/

The application was created by Turan Mahmudov, a programmer from Baku, Azerbaijan. Actually, the maintainer and developer is Rúben Carneiro from Porto, Portugal. He is working at other UT apps.

The application is easily downloaded from the Ubuntu Touch Store, by searching for “Instagraph”: chose the newer version.

In details.

The application is open source, and has its own repos on Github (older version): https://github.com/turanmahmudov/Instagraph and Gitlab (new version): https://gitlab.com/rubencarneiro/Instagraph

Taking a look at the code, I saw that the app is based on Prostogram, the older Instagram app for Sailfish OS; this may make porting back to SF OS easier!

Furthermore, Instagram image filters are intelligently emulated using (I think they are) SVG filters, thanks to the instantfx library for Ubuntu devices.

Finally, the API. The fundamental work of connecting to the new Instagram API is done via mitmproxy.

The “Zuckerberg risk”

Unfortunately, having the app based on unofficial API is an element of risk for Instagraph!

But let’s stay positive, Instagraph is a great news. The app is working thanks to the built-in libraries.
Let’s just hope Zuckerberg doesn’t change the APIs yet again!