Apple named Instagram its 2011 App of the Year. The recognition came in December 2011, when Instagram was still an iPhone-focused photo-sharing app and had not yet launched its Android version.
The award reflected Instagram’s rapid rise after its public release in October 2010. Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger had developed the service from Burbn, a broader check-in project that they narrowed into a streamlined photo app. Filters, square images, social feeds, and simple sharing helped it gain a large audience on Apple’s mobile platform.
The honor is sometimes confused with other awards Instagram received around the same period. Instagram was a runner-up for Best Mobile App at the 2010 Crunchies and later won Best Locally Made App at the 2011 SF Weekly Web Awards. Those recognitions came from different organizations and were not Apple’s App of the Year title.
Instagram’s Android release followed in April 2012 and was downloaded more than one million times in less than a day. Facebook acquired the company that same month for approximately $1 billion in cash and stock.