Also worth nothing Instagram has been pretty good at eating other apps’s lunch, specifically Snapchat and later TikTok. Obviously Snapchat and TikTok are still things and are quite popular but the instagram versions of those features are quite good and the network effect is important.

Instagram is good at improving their app experience by incorporating features. However, it is not good at launching standalone apps either.

Consider

  1. Boomerang - https://www.niemanlab.org/reading/instagram-launches-a-standalone-app-boomerang-that-turns-photos-into-a-1-second-video-loop/
  2. Shopping app that was never launched? - https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/4/17819766/instagram-shopping-app-e-commerce
  3. Layout - photo collage app https://www.stuff.tv/news/instagram-launches-layout-standalone-app-your-photo-collages/