As Instagram follows in the footsteps of parent company Facebook, you’ll soon be able to download your data from the photo-sharing app.
“We are building a new data portability tool,” Instagram told TechCrunch. “You’ll soon be able to download a copy of what you’ve shared on Instagram, including your photos, videos, and messages.”
The announcement is good news for those seriously trying to #DeleteFacebook. When this tool debuts, you’ll theoretically be able to download all the photos, chats, and other information you’ve shared to Instagram, enabling you to port it to another social media entity.
It’s also useful for those who have been using Instagram not just as a social media tool but as an online repository for old photos. I know I’ve failed to back up old phones on more than one occasion and lost photos in the process. Instagram is the only place those memories live now—and I can’t be the only one in that situation.
The move is an about-face for Instagram, which typically makes it very hard to copy, re-gram, or otherwise download posts—whether they’re your own or those of others.
Interestingly, while Facebook may allow others to use your data in questionable ways, it has also allowed you to download your own data, too. Beginning in 2010, Facebook began allowing users to download their own information collected by the social network.
The details surrounding Instagram’s version are slim. It’s unclear at this point what resolution photos will be downloaded as, and whether the information you’ll get will also include Instagram Stories, follower lists, or other Instagram features.
It’s possible that Instagram’s upcoming tool could launch by May 25 or sooner. This would keep it in line with an impending privacy law in the E.U. This law stipulates that digital platforms allow for data portability.
We’ll find out more information when the app formally announces its data portability tool.
H/T the Verge