Those of us attempting to use Instagram on our Windows Phones are left with no alternative but to utilise third party solutions. These apps are solid offerings in place of an official app from Instagram, but of course we're essentially going through back doors to get our content published. All was well for a short while with uploads presently available for viewing, but Instagram has evidently had enough.
It would seem as though Instagram is cracking down on content uploaded and shared through third party apps as popular unofficial app Instance appears to have been blocked. We only just covered some issues with Instance, but Daniel Gary, developer of the app took to Twitter to keep everyone in the loop with what's happening:
Evidently Instagram has little spies that watch every @WindowsPhone user and deletes their images after uploading. #onlythingicanthinkofEvidently Instagram has little spies that watch every @WindowsPhone user and deletes their images after uploading. #onlythingicanthinkof— Daniel Gary (@danielgary) July 30, 2013July 30, 2013
Gary also states he's been in touch with Rudy Huyn, another Windows Phone developer who is looking to create an unofficial Instagram app. It would appear as though it's not just Instance that's affected. According to the Instance developer, Instagram is actively seeking out photos uploaded to the service through third party apps to remove them immediately.
One could assume that Instagram is tracking accounts that use unofficial apps, including Instance. Unfortunately there's little developers can do except work around the issue. After all, we're talking about reverse engineering APIs, which isn't exactly placing developers and users in Instagram's good books. That said, the service could quit wasting resourcing in battling uploads from third party apps and release an official solution already.
Gary has confirmed to The Verge that he's actively working on a fix, but the issue is affecting all users of Instance. "It’s their servers, their service. What I was doing was not approved by them and was using their private API." We'll monitor the situation, we're sure more will follow. For the time being, Daniel Gary has stated he's hidden Instance from the Store.
Update: An Instagram spokesperson has confirmed with The Verge that they recently made some API changes. They claim the changes are made to fight spam and increase security. The changes aren't targeted at any specific app, like Instance, and instead impact any app using Instagram outside of the official API.
