Everyone has a smart phone these days! Except… they don’t. There are lots of people who don’t want or can’t afford a smart phone, and they’re missing out on all the fun that happens on Instagram!
Instagram is the new Facebook. Sort of.
Tons of companies and bloggers that used to enjoy communicating with their fans via Facebook have started migrating over to Instagram due to Facebook’s changing organic reach algorithms (read: Facebook makes it hard for Pages to reach their fans). Lots of fun promos and contests are taking place on Instagram, and if you want to join in the fun but don’t have a smart phone, you need not despair.
How to use Instagram without a smart phone:
1- Find someone with a smart phone and the Instagram app to make you an account.
This is the trickiest part: you can’t set up an Instagram account from the web; it has to be done within the mobile app. Anyone with the app can set up an account for you. Tell them what email you would like to use to sign up, your screen name, a temporary password and, ideally, send them a profile pic they can upload for you.
2 – Download and install Gramblr.
Gramblr is a program that allows you to upload photos from your PC to Instagram. You need to make sure your photos are square, or they will not upload. I tend to crop and resize my images using PicMonkey.
Once installed, it’s easy to use Gramblr. You can add your caption and hashtags from Gramblr, or do that later via Pixsta or the Instagram website.
3- (Optional) Download and install Pixsta.
If you want desktop notifications when people comment, like your photos or start following you, you’ll want to download and install Pixsta. This app gives you access to your Instagram account from your taskbar, and you will receive pop-up notifications of any Instagram activity.
4- Browse, like and comment via Instagram.com.
If you don’t care about desktop notifications, you can simply access your account and the accounts you follow using the Instagram website. You can like, comment and follow new profiles from the website. The only thing you can’t do is upload. (Hence, why you need Gramblr.)
There’s more:
Another cool web-based Instagram tool I use is Iconosquare. If you want to look at photos with a specific hashtag, just enter iconosquare.com/tag/HASHTAGNAME into your browser, and all photos with that hashtag will appear. You can see, for example, all my #happymamawolf pictures for the 100 Happy Days challenge!
And if you have Windows 8 on your PC, try InstaPic!
Do you have Instagram? You can follow me @MamanLoupsDen.
S says
this post could possibly change my life haha. I will def try this. just need to find someone to let me sign up on their phone :p thanks for all the info
Kate says
Hello S! I know the way to post photos by PC without app and phones. I use push.photo for uploading all photos by laptop or desktop with no other apps
Cassandra says
Thanks this is excellent. Does this also work if you only have a Mac laptop?
Lindsay says
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!
Angel says
i parents arent letting me get instagram. so, i hought id sneek it past them and get one online, but i dont have any friends that would let me sign up on their phones. what should i do? and i cant download anything, because theres parental controls on all the computers in my house
Birgit Jurock says
Thank you Lindsay, this is very helpful, great info 🙂
Nathan says
The first step of your tutorial on “How To Use Instagram Without A Smart Phone” is to “Find someone with a smart phone.” Okay, cool, but where are the instructions for “How To Use Instagram WITHOUT A Smart Phone?” That WAS the title of this article, after all.
Lindsay Gallimore says
Sorry Nathan, sadly, it’s the only work around I could find!
Joni Solis says
Is this still the best way to sign in and use Instragram in 2016? Or have you discovered any new and better apps for this? Thanks!
Dan says
Still sounds like a hassle and dont really want to ask someone with a mobile phone to make an account, shame you cant just make an account. Ohwell i guess ill just pass up on instagram then.