The COVID-19 crisis continues to make Instagram a more desktop-friendly social network. A few weeks ago, the network had announced that people would be able to use its messaging feature on desktops. And now, another feature makes its way to the computer world – Instagram Live, which lets you view live videos by people you follow (they appear in the Stories section). Starting from April 17, users will be able to view and comment on Instagram videos on Instagram on their desktops. You will be able to see who is Live on video on Instagram as a “Live” tab will appear in front of their names in the Stories section of the website (check the screenshot – Instagram in a desktop browser is very different from the app).
The decision comes after Live views increased by over 70 percent in the US over the past month. Interestingly, Instagram also says that it is testing a method by which people can save live videos to IGTV, allowing them to be visible for more than the 24-hour limit.
All of which seems to indicate that Instagram, which had started out as a mobile-only application is getting closer to delivering a near-complete desktop experience. Initially, you could not even access the service on a desktop, now you can go to www.Instagram.com and after logging in, you can view posts of those you follow and like and comment on them, look at Instagram stories and comment on them (even using quick response icons and smilies) and send and receive direct messages. You can also discover new people to follow. Of course, the visual experience is nowhere near as immersive as on mobile phones – almost all desktops and notebooks are designed to be used in landscape mode, whereas Instagram is an app that works in portrait mode.
Mind you, you STILL cannot make posts to Instagram – whether it is pictures or videos – from the website on your desktop . And you still cannot access Instagram TV, although some say that is going to come soon. Interestingly, Instagram itself had made an app for Windows 10 PCs, but the experience is very distant from what you get from its mobile apps, and even that does not let you post content on the social network (although you can upload images to Instagram TV). And of course, it does not work on Macs.
Will that change in the coming days? Let’s wait and watch. In the meantime, if you DO want to post on Instagram from your computer, here is one very handy way of doing it.