Over the last few weeks Instagram is making it easier to find photos, people and hashtags. The apps on both IOS and Android have a new discover features that is pretty nice. it shows trending hashtags, places and posts you maybe interested in seeing. This is definitely a step up from what they had before. Also up dated was the finding New People based on who you follow, what you like on Facebook and people who already follow you.

Instagram has never done much with their interface. You can see pictures but the functionality was always limited. The main focus was on the app. They are slowly adding some of those features to the web interface. Its rolling out that you can search by place, user and hashtag. While these are limited it’s a step up from what they did before. It has always felt the web interface has been the step child of Instagram.

Why is this good? Making things easier to find in social is always a good thing. One of the biggest fails is social search. Finding things near you or relevant to you. Everyone has tried it but its still early on. Another reason this is good is you can search without a phone. If you have ever left your phone at home and needed to find something that was app only? If so its nearly impossible. Lastly, its good for people who don’t have an account to see your posts.

If you don’t have this feature it’s rolling out from Instagram. Check it out and see how you can now search for pictures from the web! This is a good thing. This leaves me with one gripe, no iPad app. I hope that’s in the works!