Nokia: "We are working…very hard on Instagram"

[Half Monk 697]

Microsoft’s app ecosystem for Windows Phone 8 has been adding big-ticket apps to the store at a feverish pace. While Twitter and Facebook are now staples in the Windows Phone Store, one big gap in the store yet to be filled is Instagram.

 

Love it or hate it, Instagram is a cornerstone app for any platform and lacking a big name such as this is, let's face it, a dark spot on your public record.

 

 

                                                     One day...

 

Nokia has previously stated that the app is coming to Windows Phone. While there have been rumors that Nokia was looking to lock-up Instagram as an exclusive app, we now have a bit more insight into the plans for the Finnish company.

 

In an interview with TechCrunch, Nokia’s Brian Biniak, Vice President and General Manager of App Development, was questioned about the arrival of Instagram on Lumia devices.

 

BB:

 We are working… 

very

 hard on Instagram. We’re working closely with Facebook — as you know, we work with them across all kinds of devices. Microsoft has a close relationship with Facebook, which you can see from the Bing decision, and… for Instagram. We’re working on that.

We’ve also extended our relationship with Twitter so Vine will also come to the platform later this year.

 

 

These comments echo similar ones made by Nokia's Kevin Shields to Neowin's Andy Weir at the launch of the Lumia 925 in May. Shields indicated that both Nokia and Microsoft have been working tirelessly to make an Instagram app launch happen for Windows Phone, but that the ball remains firmly in Facebook's court.

Many were hoping to hear about an Instagram partnership at the launch of the Lumia 1020 but alas, we are still (officially) Instagram-less on the Windows Phone platform.

 

Seeing how Microsoft has taken charge of the Facebook application for Windows Phone, it would not surprise us to see the company go down the same road for an official Instagram app too. While we don’t have an app yet, it’s clear that at least two parties (Nokia and Microsoft) are pushing for its launch, and we suspect that both vendors have likely offered up resources to support a port to Windows Phone.