Samsung’s Galaxy S10 has a built-in Instagram mode

Published February 20, 2019

After weeks of leaks, Samsung still managed to save some surprises for today’s event. One of the most interesting among them is a partnership with Instagram that brings Stories directly to the camera app.

It’s an interesting partnership, and mutually beneficial for both parties. For some, it could signal a kind of return to pre-loaded bloatware, but at least in the case of Instagram, the app is virtually ubiquitous for most users at this point anyway.

The mode got a brief demo onstage today — it’s pretty much what you’d expect out of the thing, bringing filters directly to the camera software and letting you upload straight to service without leaving Samsung’s default camera software.

Smartphone makers have had increasing difficulty distinguishing their camera offerings in recent years. The last several generations of products like the Galaxy line, iPhone and Pixel have increasingly relied on AI/ML/software updates to set themselves apart, so these kinds of partnerships could certainly play a role in that going forward.