When Did Instagram Come Out? The Launch Date Explained

Key takeaways

• Instagram came out on October 6, 2010, released free on Apple's App Store for iOS (iPhone) only.
• It was built by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and reached 25,000 users on its first day and 1 million within two months.
• The Android app arrived on April 3, 2012, drawing more than 1 million downloads in its first 24 hours.
• Facebook (now Meta) agreed to acquire Instagram in April 2012 for roughly $1 billion, closing the deal that September.
• By 2026, Instagram had grown from a single-photo app into a global platform spanning photos, Stories, Reels, messaging, and commerce.

When did Instagram come out?

Instagram came out on October 6, 2010, when it launched exclusively on Apple's App Store for the iPhone. The app was free and, at launch, let people apply filters to square photos and share them to a simple scrolling feed. Its combination of one-tap filters and fast mobile sharing made it an instant hit: Instagram drew about 25,000 users on its first day and crossed 1 million registered users within roughly two months. If you are new to the platform today, our Instagram growth guide for beginners in 2026 covers how far it has come, and you can review who owns Instagram now for the current ownership picture.

Who created Instagram?

Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, two Stanford graduates working in San Francisco. Systrom first built a check-in app called Burbn, then pivoted with Krieger to focus purely on mobile photo sharing, renaming it Instagram (a blend of "instant camera" and "telegram"). The pair ran the company as founders through the Facebook acquisition and stayed on until September 2018, when they resigned. Instagram's current head is Adam Mosseri. Understanding the founders' original vision helps explain why the Instagram algorithm still rewards fast, visual, mobile-first content.

Why is October 6, 2010 the official launch date?

October 6, 2010 is the official date because that is when Instagram version 1.0 went live on the App Store for public download. Before that, the app existed only in private testing. Some sources reference October 2010 loosely, but the specific public release day is October 6, 2010. That launch was iOS-only, which is why Android users could not join until 2012. If you are just getting started, our step-by-step guide on how to post on Instagram walks through the modern posting flow.

What is the Instagram milestone timeline?

Instagram's growth from a 2010 iPhone app to a global platform followed a clear set of milestones. The table below summarizes the major dates.

These features reshaped how people use the app. Stories, for example, spawned an entire ecosystem of tools, from reposting a story to questions about whether Instagram notifies screenshots.

When did Instagram come to Android?

Instagram came to Android on April 3, 2012, roughly 18 months after the iOS launch. The Android release was enormously anticipated and pulled in more than 1 million downloads within 24 hours. This dramatically widened Instagram's audience just days before the Facebook acquisition was announced, helping push the platform past 50 million users that same month. Today the app works nearly identically across iOS and Android, including features like going live and posting Reels.

When did Facebook buy Instagram?

Facebook announced its agreement to buy Instagram in April 2012 for approximately $1 billion in cash and stock, and the deal formally closed in September 2012. At the time, Instagram had around 30 million users and just 13 employees. Facebook rebranded as Meta Platforms in 2021, so Instagram is owned by Meta today. For the full ownership breakdown, see our explainer on who owns Instagram and the record-holders in who has the most followers on Instagram.

How has Instagram changed since it came out?

Instagram has changed from a simple filtered-photo app in 2010 into a full media platform in 2026. The original app only supported square photos with filters; today it hosts Stories, Reels, video, shopping, DMs, and creator monetization. That evolution changed what "good" content looks like, which is why creators now study the viral Reels hook formula and plan posting around the best time to upload on Instagram. Optimizing your Instagram bio and Instagram search visibility matters far more now than it did in the filter-only early days.

Bottom line: Instagram came out on October 6, 2010, as an iPhone-only photo app made by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. It reached Android in April 2012 and was acquired by Facebook, now Meta, that same year, later expanding into Stories, Reels, messaging, and commerce.