Instagram Launches Boomerang, A New GIF Video Stand Alone App

In a bid to keep its mobile app interface simple and free from extra features, Instagram launched a new standalone app to complement its service on iOS and Android. TechCrunch wrote that the app, named Boomerang, will allow mobile users to shoot one-second burst of images and convert them into a single, silent video that can reverse or play forward in a loop, which is how GIFs look like. 

Boomerang Product Manager John Barnett told the tech site that the app was conceived at a hackathon by a group of engineers in July. He added, “Babies are really, really fun with Boomerang… It was something we built just for fun for us to play with as a team [but realized it must be entertaining for the whole world.]” 

The Telegraph said that the new app is similar to existing photo apps on the market today, including Apple’s recently-introduced Live Photos feature. However, this can no doubt increase the app’s market share, which is currently at its 400 millionth user.