It seems after much struggle Nokia managed to get Instagram uploads for their Windows Phone users via the back door.
Part of today’s Nokia Lumia 925 announcement was the announcement also of an app – Oggl, by Hipstamatic.
Oggl is a brand-new app, having just been announced by Hipstamatic a few days ago for the iPhone, and simplifies the Hipstamatic experience by concentrating on the situation rather than a very broad range of filters (e.g food, landscape etc).
The app also has the ability to upload to Instagram, an ability Hipstamatic gained only in March this year via official access to Instagram’s API.
"People post Hipstamatic photos on Instagram all the time, and we just want to make that experience easier," Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said at the time.
I believe however that Systrom never expected to see Hipstamatic’s apps on Windows Phone, given that they have so far only published iOS apps, and not even Android apps.
Kevin Systrom, who used to work as an intern at Microsoft, is believed to hate the company, making his refusal to serve Windows Phone users personal.
So while Microsoft and Nokia could not convince the company to produce an app for Windows Phone, they have managed to at least get a foot in the door with a company which was more open to negotiation.
The issue is becoming somewhat academic with a number of 3rd party apps popping up using a hacked API, but it does go to show somewhat if there is a will there is a way.