Instagram, the extremely popular photo sharing app for iOS and Android, has been acquired by Facebook, according to an official blog post by Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom.
Facebook spent a reported $1 billion in cash and stock on the photo sharing service. For those worried that the service will completely dissipate, Systrom says Instagram is “not going away” and that they plan to “work with Facebook to evolve Instagram and build the network.”
Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook will be “able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.”
Zuckerberg explained some of the social network’s hopes for expanding Instagram in an announcement posted to Facebook:
For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.
We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.
While Systrom assures that “the Instagram app will still be the same one you know and love,” many are doubtful considering Facebook’s unstable mobile applications and questionable privacy policies.