2016-02-29

Being pulls app after Instagram blocks API access




Instagram has blocked Being app's access to its APIs. The Being app enabled users to see the Instagram feed of celebrities.


Within a week of Being's launch, its access to Instagram's application programming interface (API) – a set of codes that enables data sharing between apps – was blocked. Reports suggest the app was using Instagram's API to share feeds with other unintended users.

A Being app spokesperson said the company did not know why its app had been pulled by Instagram.

On 25 February, "the founder of Being, Adam Mashaal, discovered that his app's access to Instagram's API had been disabled. Adam and the Being team are investigating the issue but have not heard anything from Instagram as to whether this was intentional," Jennifer Sinski, a Being spokeswoman, told IBTimesUK.

The online publication Motherboard reported that Mashall pulled it from the app store in order to stop potential users from "downloading an essentially useless app".

According to Sinski, Being was created as a companion app to leverage on Instagram content and enhances user experience. Till date, the app has generated roughly thousands of likes and follows on Instagram.

Using Being, a football fan, for example, could see the timeline of Cristiano Ronaldo. The fan would see a cloned version of Ronaldo's timeline, seeing who the footballer follows as well as all of the pictures of Ronaldo uploaded on Instagram. However, Being only allowed users to view other people's timelines – they could not like, unlike or share the posts.

"Seeing Instagram from someone else's perspective unlocks a whole new layer of discovery. From pop stars to presidential candidates, Being lets you see what Instagram looks like from the perspective of any other user based on who they're following," Being's app description read.

"Being has had incredible success since its launch on February 18, 2016. To date, over half-a-million feeds have been viewed on the app from over 40,000 active users. 11,000 people have downloaded Being in the last 24 hours alone and it was of the top 30 social media apps in the App Store," she added.


Source:IBT TIMES UK & Verge

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