Looks like Instagram isn’t just saying goodbye to the IGTV app. Social media consultant Matt Navarra and various Twitter users (including KenSchillinger and WFBrother) reported that Instagram’s separately published apps Boomerang and Hyperlapse are also no longer in the Apple and Google app stores, TechCrunch reported. Although Boomerang is still available for Android on Google Play via a direct link, it no longer results in searches.
Parent company Meta confirmed in a statement to Engadget that Instagram is pulling out of these apps to “better focus its efforts on the core app.” Apptopia data shows that Instagram pulled Boomerang and Hyperlapse from its app stores after March 1. As seen on Apptopia, Boomerang was relatively popular with an average of 26,000 downloads per day before it was pulled.
We can say that the removal of applications is not exactly surprising. The launches of Hyperlapse in 2014 and Boomerang in 2015 came at a time when Instagram was trying to keep its app relatively “lite”. Given the poor performance of some phones at the time, they were offering stable time-lapse and looping videos. However, Boomerang and Hyperlapse remained just camera options in 2022 as the main Instagram app responded to its rivals by gaining features ranging from Snapchat-like Stories to TikTok-style content. With the move to faster smartphones, there is much less need for standalone apps that offer single features.
Uninstalling apps also seems logical in terms of removing IGTV. In announcing this decision, Instagram said it wanted to improve the video experience for both creators and viewers. This final move can only be seen as an extension of the earlier strategy.
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