Instagram delivered good news to iPhone 5 early adopters with their newest 3.1 release bringing support for iOS 6 — along with adding an expanded photo view and more insta-images loading on the longer screen size.
But the bad news for some, is that Instagram has removed live filters from iPhone 5 without warning— leaving many longtime faithful photogs wondering “Where did live filters go?”
The company answered the question to that little known issue in a short post buried in their online Help Center.
“As of the current release (v3.1), Instagram does not support live filters on the iPhone 5. Going forward, live filters will be phased out as we work to improve the Instagram experience for all users.”
Instagram's live filters feature has always allowed users the ability to capture photos while choosing a filter effect on the fly — as opposed to selecting an existing image from your Photo Gallery and then adding filters after the fact.
The phasing out of live filters is causing a wicked backlash from some users itching to ditch the photo sharing app as an act of social rebellion. Oh the drama!
Speculation from some users is pointing to the fact that live filters has caused slowness and crashing for Android users who will be getting the (v3.1) release soon according to Instagram. The iOS 6 update is an attempt by the insta-nerds to create a unified user experience across platforms.
With that said — it appears Instagram developers have left a stealthy workaround in place in order to still access live filters. Although it may only be a temporary appeasement left in place to avoid all out anarchy and it could disappear in a future update.
To access the workaround open the app and select an image form your Photo Library > tap the Choose button > then tap the Red X to undo your selection > now tap the Cancel button on the top right to exit your library.
You'll now see all the live filters present below. But be warned — you'll need to complete these few cumbersome steps each time you want to access your live filters.
For those who are married to the live filters feature, any workaround is better than certain death. Since I never use live filters it's a less dramatic loss and one I'll never miss.
What I would like to see are some new filters added to the mix as the company looks to “improve the Instagram experience for all users”. Even if that only includes some of the people, some of the time.
In the meantime, the company should expect a hunk of unfiltered, insta-hate mail arriving promptly. Because hell hath no furry like an Instagrammer scorned!
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