Before now, Instagram users on mobile web could only view Stories, which have to be created in the native app. But starting today, mobile web users can post to Instagram Stories, though the use of Instagram’s augmented reality masks or videos sharing isn't allowed.
While videos and the rest of Instagram’s creative tools like doodling, stickers, location tags, polls, and more are still restricted to the native app.
But users can snap photos, overlay text captions, and share them with friends from mobile web, as well as Save posts they find in the feed.
The company intends to improve more on the creative tools, and the restriction to native app stems from the fact that it might be awkward posting vertical portrait images from a landscape mode, albeit there's no confirmation if photo posting will come to the desktop.
In the next few weeks, users will be able to find a camera icon in the top left corner which they can tap to shoot or upload a photo for their Story. On tapping the bookmark icon on feed posts sends it to the Saved folder that’s accessible from the top right of the screen.
They can also add text and change the text color. When they’re done, post it to Stories by tapping “Share to Your Story”.
Instagram Stories will definitely receive a boost, and as competitors are hugely digging into the creative feature, it could potentially lock into the developing world audience through the mobile web.
