Twitter tried to purchase Instagram a few months ago, before Facebook shelled out a huge $1 billion for the photo sharing application, according to a news report.
The report, from the New York Times, claims that Jack Dorsey, Co-founder of Twitter, invested in Instagram back in February 2011 and was an avid user of the photo sharing service as well, until Facebook bought the company.
Twitter’s interest in the app may have helped drive the price up to the $1 billion mark. Instagram was originally pegged at being worth $500 million.
Although some critics claim Facebook overpaid for Instagram, new feats reached last week may just show differently.
After Facebook’s announcement of the acquisition, Instagram landed the top spot in Apple’s App Store for the first time. As one of the most popular smartphones in the U.S., this is considered to be a coveted position among developers.
Instagram’s hot run did not just end at Apple’s App Store, the app also saw 10 million more users in just 10 days.
The company released its app on Google Android’s Marketplace just a week before Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, announced the purchase.
Android has 500 million users downloading apps in its marketplace, which helped add fuel to Instagram’s fire.
The photo sharing app had fans on Android devices even before it became available on the marketplace, with over 430,000 users who had signed up to download the app.
The app gained its popularity on the iPhone originally, and has grown to over 40 million users in just 18 months.
Many of Instagram’s loyal fans were initially worried that Facebook’s purchase would mean that their experience on the app would be altered.
However, they have been able to rest easy knowing that Facebook, a company notorious for keeping its social network users on their feet with new changes, does not plan to make significant changes to Instagram.
The company said that Instagram would remain a standalone photo app, keeping its core team alive at the helm.