Full disclosure: I’m not a fan of Instagram. I see very little value in low-resolution photos with minimal filters posted to an “exclusive” social network, when anyone can do the same with a smartphone and a free editor. That said, I’m glad to see the millions of Android users who were patiently waiting to get into Instagram finally have their patience rewarded. But one group of people isn’t so thrilled to see Instagram’s potential userbase grow by a couple hundred million: iPhone and other iOS users. And they’ve taken to Twitter en masse to whine about it. Aww, bless their poor little hipster hearts.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, there are iPhone owners, and apparently lots of them, who think that Instagram has been “ruined” by the sudden influx of Android. A running theme on their Twitter complaints seems to be “ew, people with no artistic sense will be able to follow me!” Some are tweeting with the hashtag #teamiPhone, echoing the pop culture battle between Twilight readers that is, like, so 2009. Even less tactful posts seem to imply that Android users are poor, despite one of the most popular iPhone models being AT&T’s free 3GS. For a smattering of retweeted iPhone complaints, you can check out this brand-new and very NSFW Twitter account (warning: tact, taste and basic language skills may not be present).

Why all the hatred? Well, one of Instagram’s founding principles is that you can only post to the service from your phone or mobile device… which, until today, only included Apple hardware. It seems that this isolation has given some Instragram users a sense of artistic entitlement brought on by owning a piece of glass and plastic that millions of others do as well. To be fair, there’s plenty of iPhone users out there who aren’t twenty-something elitist jerks… but by the look of popular social networks,  most of them don’t use Instagram. You stay classy, Apple fans.

71 COMMENTS

  1. psst…between you and I, Apple users are a bunch of little…

    I don’t even care what Instagram is.  They can keep it.

    • I don’t use Instagram, but it seems like everyone should be able to use it. Although I am an iOS user and hate Android with a passion, everyone should grow up and learn to share.

      • To hate a mobile operating system just because you don’t use it, or whatever is just plain childish.

      •  Its the other way round…we dont use it because we hate it!!! And we hate it because we think its a bit…rubbish lol

      • I’m sorry, but that sounds like circular logic no matter how you say it. You don’t use the Android brand because you hate it, yet you hate it even though you never have used it, because you hate it – do you see what I’m trying to tell you? Also, I’ve used both iOS and Android, and they both have appealing and unappealing qualities. But any way you look at it, the haters are still gonna hate – so let them. Proud Android tablet user, for 1 year so far

  5. This kills me “ew” um are you still 5. If I need to think and act like a 5 year old to post a poorly done picture and have it posted on the fridge! Ill pass. Mommy and daddy rewarded me enough as a child that I don’t need it from a group of people who think they are the bestest!

  6. Not sure how owning a smartphone (regardless of OS) gives you any “artistic sense” – but not surprised by it – we say it at the office all the time – the new iOS generation represent the dumbing down of the Apple community. 

    • Respectfully, the last half of your comment actually underscores the elitism of the typical Apple user. “You are not the things you own.”

      • no, you are not the things you own – specially to the some who think “you are what you make” 

        iOS users are the finger painters of the Apple community.

  8. I don’t care very much for Instagram, I feel most of the people that use it are just wanna be photographers, and I am an actual photographer and find it just disappointing. But this is ridiculous. I can’t believe people would act this way (and 3 days after April fools). Although isn’t the 3Gs the third most popular iPhone out of three models? I would say it’s the least popular iPhone, it’s only available on the one network.

  9. Looks like Apple makes it’s products intelligently, but they eventually end up in the hands of people who think applying ready-made filters makes them artists. Haaa, grow up Apple boys.

  11. This is hilarious. 

    Owning an Android phone doesn’t mean you’re poor, it means you’re smart. Who would pay $60 or more a month for 3G service that you can find elsewhere at rates as low as $25 a month (grandfathered-in Virgin Mobile customers). There is also the issue of usability and customization, as well as Flash support, all things that the iPhone is severely lacking.These people are also hilariously misinformed. It’s not just U.S. Android users who signed up today. Instagram has been trending all day in several countries, notably Japan where there are more smart phone users than computer users and 3G is but a memory (5G is now common place there).All of these people complaining are ignorant snobs, and that’s all there is to it.

    •  Good point. I enjoy the freedom of choice in being able to choose any kind of smartphone i want for android where ios is pretty much limited to one model.

      • Exactly. Frankly I feel sorry for iOS users for that reason. iOS users never have that chance to swim in the deep end of the pool, they can only stand in the shallow end. With Android you can leave a smartphone maker if you don’t like it, that’s not possible with Apple.

      • Which you inevitably have to do since andriod constanly pushes out crap plastic phone after crap plastic phone and stops creating updates for the one you bought less than a year ago.

    • I paid $200 for my Galaxy S2 Skyrocket.  I am not rich, but I am not some poor nerd either.  I owned 3 iphones before I got my Galaxy S2 Skyrocket.  I was getting so tired of having to jailbreak my iPhone to customize it to the point where I COULD be creative with it.  LMAO.  I can’t believe I was a Apple fangirl for 5 freakin’ years!  FIVE!  What a waste of time and creative productivity.  Apple just doesn’t fit my ethics or believe system either…I am all about choice, ease of use, accessibility.  Apple is the antithesis of these aspects of my life I value the most.  Suck it Apple, Android all the way.

  13. Is it just me or are all iPhone users just haters? Honestly, every iPhone owner I know has a dislike for Android, for one reason or another.

    • because they think they are more….elitists…..and it is very easy go govern them….Jobs is laughing in his grave 🙂

  15. It’s laughable all you guys calling iFans childish, while acting/reacting & responding like kids yerselves. Btw, I use Android tablets, MBP & an old 9″ Hackintosh laptop & a cellphone powered by neither, so I consider myself a lover of technologies rather than a snobby hater for/against any 1 OS exclusively. They all are cool imo

  16. Its like saying “ewwww… linux users can browse the web with opera browser too? the web has been ruined!”

    Seriously, im not saying ALL apple fans are like that, but the “elitist asstard community” prefers apple i guess.

  17. So many application look alike instagram in android, so it’s no biggy.. Maybe apple user never seen another application like this. Because they bought prestige not smartphone.

  18. What’s all the argue about ? Instagram has nothing more than other photo apps. There’s nothing impressive about it. I was like: it must be something special if everybody awaits for it. Guess what: it’s just a regular app and in my opinion it kinda sucks.

  20. Personally iPhone users if its that important to you……keep it! I’ve got better things to do than share a picture of my dog to the world!

  25. One of the reasons why even some iPhone users already switched to the crossplattform App Streamzoo or some others. The community on Instagram changed a lot in the last 6-8 months and the immature part of it seems to grow. This new behavioer against Android users is just a little but good example of it. You also just have to check out the IG Popular wall. What do you see there? Fingernails, handbags and selfportraits with duckfaces with tons of comments from young women begging for followers and likes. Instagram has already lost it’s appeal a long time ago. In most cases a huge hype ends pretty bad.

  30. Im confused as to why people think all iPhone users think they are artist using instagram…I just like it. Makes photo editing a touch away and I don’t have to put hours into it. I don’t claim to be an artist, just like how it makes some pictures look. I use pix and pixlrmatic also but again, I DONT CLAIM TO BE SOME FAKE ASS ARTIST WANNABE HIPSTER! I enjoy my iPhone cause it works for me. Thats it. Also. These so called hipsters suck. Cannot wait for this fad to die off. Tired of people walking around in fake glasses and claiming they love music they know they don’t even listen to. Seriously. Who the eff drives around and listen to the entire Bon Iver album and doesnt fall asleep? NO ONE. I have the album but i’m not saying its a work of art. Oh wait….Bon Iver won a grammy, He’s too commercial now so his new album sucks in comparison. Yeah, hipsters say shit like that. Oh, they also claim PBR is delicious. No it’s not. It’s cheap and taste like nothing. Oh oh oh and some 16 year old fake ass hipster was talking about how much she loved Tom Waits in the mall and I over heard and said “whats your favorite album” and she said “uuhhh” and i said what’s your favorite song” and she couldnt answer. Proof that being a hipster is just saying shit that they think is “hip”. And I’ve just gone off on a I hate hipsters rant. Oops. But it’s the truth.

  32. Don’t take the bait, these few iPhone users don’t represent the majority of iPhone users, or even Instagram users.

    Of course, I have no evidence to suggest this is true, I’m just taking the high road…

  33. meanwhile, there are starving children in africa, genocide, political wars, and Rick Santorum to forget about while we bitch about an app that encourages people’s lack of talent through shitty photos and easy-to-add pictures. yay!

  34. Why is this news? More people are just going to post some stupid pictures about their lives to make themselves feel better. I know because I do the same. Its a social network, so why didn’t this happen at the launch of instagram. 

    • My Initial reaction

      Who wants lo-res craptastic filtered images uploaded to a site that regular fine upstanding Android users can’t and won’t see?

      Apple, I saw your special club, and it is indeed special. 

  36. I don’t get it myself. I downloaded the app (huge file size for what it does) took a picture and posted it to Twitter. OK. Why do I need a new app to post tiny picture on Twitter?  I could do that with my phone’s camera and have full sized pictures and my phone’s camera posts to far more sites like Google+. There are a myriad of other apps like Pixlr-o-matic and Paper Camera that add filters to pics.

  38. “To be fair, there’s plenty of iPhone users out there who aren’t twenty-something elitist jerks…”

    No there aren’t.

  39. Im running across this also, iOS people complaining about Android user now having Instagram. The way I see it, it’s a bunch of sour grapes: the one thing that set iPhone above Android has now been eliminated and people are cranky about it.

  42. What is so really gross about Android users having Instagram its just another app.
    Well I use an iPhone & I m a fan of Instagram. But I dont feel anything gross that Android users can use Instagram. These people are just way too Childish!!
    LOLZZ

  43. I have the Droid X with both Eye Em and Instagram. When I was upgrading from a Windows phone last spring, it was a choice between the iPhone or an Android. I decided to go Droid (and ain’t going back), because I decided not to drink the Kool Aid of the IPhone.

    And for these “i-Whiners”, they keep fulfilling the stereotype that i-Phone users are a bunch of elitist kids that need to get a life. Face it Apple, Android’s opening up a can of ass-whuppin’ on ya!

  44. U can say this and u can say that. Instagram is unstable as hell but its great. A way for people toshare thier memories and experiences, andin an artistic way. Everyones pictures doesnt have to b the perfect snapshot.instagram users arent photographers. There everyday people. Thats the beauty of it. I love instagram. It is very inspiring

    • Go back to school and learn how to use English. If you are an “everyday person” and you think other “everyday people” use Instagram, then Instagram’s community is full of uneducated people.

  45. In my opinion, android is better than apple. At least there is a variety of phones to choose from, and it’s not as expensive. Just cuz we have android, and are deciding on the better choice of phones, doesn’t mean that we’re cheap and stupid.

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