Instagram hits refresh on its iconic icon

OREANDA-NEWS. May 12, 2016. Instagram, the popular social media photography app owned by Facebook, is getting a new look. The app's longtime icon, a retro-looking camera, has been replaced by a new minimalist version, with a white line drawing of a camera shape against a gradient colored background. The change may reflect a move away from the vintage-style filters the app is known for, to a push towards more mainstream social sharing.

In a blog post announcing the change, the company said: "The Instagram community has evolved over the past five years from a place to share filtered photos to so much more -- a global community of interests sharing more than 80 million photos and videos every day. Our updated look reflects how vibrant and diverse your storytelling has become."

There are small changes to the look and feel of the app itself, but so far no changes to its functionality. Instagram did not immediately respond to a question about whether feature changes are coming to the app as well.