Life

Instagram Has A Big Change For iPhone 7 Users

by Eliza Castile

It might be time to reevaluate your favorite Instagram filters, because Apple just announced plans for new Instagram filters for the iPhone 7. The news came as part of the company's September keynote event on Wednesday, much of which focused on the new iPhone's near-professional camera capabilities. According to the Telegraph, the iPhone 7 comes with the expected upgrades to is camera, including image stabilization and an improved range of colors, but the iPhone 7 Plus is where things get particularly interesting. The phone's back camera comes with two lenses: A telephoto lens in addition to the standard, wide-angle one. In addition to improving the quality of zoom, this allows Plus users to add depth of field to photos, an option usually found in far more expensive cameras.

Needless to say, this opens up an entirely new world of Instas to be 'grammed. At Apple's event, Instagram's head of design, Ian Spalter, went onstage to announce that the app had been working with Apple to take the improved cameras into account — namely, according to Tech Crunch, an update to all their filers in light of the improved color capacity, so users will see a more vivid range of colors in their photos. The Independent also reported that Instagram will create a new, unnamed filter specifically for the iPhone 7, presumably to make the colors deeper.

Instagram's update comes with a few other improvements as well: iPhone 7 Plus users will be able to use the telephoto zoom within the app, and you'll be able to add a photo directly to your Instagram Story using 3-D touch. You'll also be able to convert Apple's Live Photos to Boomerangs; right now, Instagram's GIF-like feature is only available through the separate Boomerang app.

Before you get too excited, there's no hard release date for the Instagram update. During Apple's event, Spalter simply said it would arrive this year. However, the iPhone 7 will start shipping on Sept. 16, and iOS 10 comes out on Sept. 13. If you aren't planning on buying an iPhone 7, you'll be able to see the results in the vivid stream of photos on your Instagram feed. It's not quite as good as taking professional-quality photos yourself, but it's close. Besides, take solace in the fact that you'll get to keep your headphones.