Instagram Will Offer Special Support and Features for iPhone 7 Users

Instagram and Apple are making nice. With the release of the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus—and the new camera features built into each of them—Facebook-owned Instagram is building special features and compatibility into an update meant specifically for iPhone 7 users.

Instagram’s head of design Ian Spalter made an appearance at yesterday’s iPhone announcement event, where he explained exactly how Instagram is planning to take advantage of the iPhone’s new cameras and image processor.

The major updates have to do with how Instagram renders colors. An updated version of the app’s filters (as well as an all-new filter) will take advantage of the wider color gamut captured by the iPhone 7/Plus, making for more vibrant images.

Apple’s Live Photos will also be automatically converted into back-and-forth Boomerang GIFs with the touch of a button within Instagram itself, saving you time; and Snapchat Instagram Stories will be instantly accessible through 3D Touch so you never miss a candid moment.

Finally, if you’re shooting on the dual camera iPhone 7 Plus, Instagram is building haptic feedback into your zooming experience. The familiar mechanism—slide up your finger on the Instagram Stories screen to zoom in—will be augmented by Haptic feedback that will help you literally feel how far you’ve zoomed in, and when you’ve crossed the threshold from 2x optical, into image-degrading digital zoom.

None of this is groundbreaking, but it is interesting that Instagram has essentially ‘partnered’ with Apple to taylor the Instagram experience for iPhone 7 users.