Although Rudy Huyn’s upcoming Instagram app 6tagram will most likely make it to the Windows Phone Store intact, it won’t with that name. As we covered earlier, Instagram asked for final approval of the app to make sure it wasn’t violating their trademark (though they are evidently looking the other way on the API issue) and tonight they have exercised that privilege.
As a result, 6tagram will be renamed to 6tag for final release and it has been submitted under that new moniker.
The news comes from Huyn, who noted that Instagram requested the change before final submission to the Store. As a result, Huyn came up with six potential name replacements including 6pix, 6pics, 6frames, 6degrees, 6shot, 6social but later reduced the choice to 6tag and 6tamatic. The options were put to a poll and while 6tamatic clearly won (66% versus 33%), it looks like 6tag was the preferred choice by the developer.
The reason for the sudden name change evidently comes from a revised policy on “Instagram Brand Guidelines”, as reported by TechCrunch. Previously, developers who used Instagram’s public APIs for so-called “connected apps” i.e. apps that viewed streams, were only forbidden from using the full “Instagram” in their titles and the associated logos. Now, however, developers are reportedly told that if they use the public API they also cannot use “Insta” or “Gram” in their titles either, potentially knocking out numerous third party apps unless they completely rebrand.
The move by Instagram is to solidify their brand name and to avoid confusion to consumers, though it will certainly ruffle some feathers amongst developers.
While these changes will have more of a dramatic impact for services like Luxogram, which is a web interface for Instagram, clearly the decision has also trickled down to Huyn’s app, requiring it to abandon the “gram” branding in 6tagram. It’s not obvious at this time if Instagram will send letters to other third party apps on Windows Phone like Metrogram.
Huyn seems content with the modification, noting that the “6” has sort of become his brand on Windows Phone, with 9gag, 6sec and now 6tag. He also humorously points out “users download an app named "oggl", not sure that the name is really important :D”, which we have to agree with.
6tagram no more
Regardless of the title, the functionality of the Huyn’s app should be intact when it passes the store with only minor changes requested by Microsoft and Instagram, none of which are significant.
The tradeoff in renaming the app and appeasing Instagram appears to be their unofficial consent, with their lawyers not attempting to have it removed from the Windows Phone Store. In that sense, we believe the renaming is a small price to pay for that cooperation.
The name change recalls and earlier situation with Itsdagram, which was later renamed to Instance by Windows Phone Central readers, after Instagram made similar complaints. In this regard, Instagram's behavior is actually not new.
6tag is expected to be available in the store within the next few days. We’ll of course bring you news of when that happens. Thanks, A A A, for the tips
