How To Use IGTV, Instagram’s New Long Form Video App

Instagram has become a well-loved platform among users to follow along with their favorite celebrities and family members. But Instagram is so much more than just a way to share photos with friends — it's a way to get a live look at what is going on in the world, a tool to find new businesses, and now a form of entertainment with the new phone app, IGTV. As the app makes its way to app stores within the next few weeks, surely users will be dying to know how to use IGTV — because if Instagram has taken over lives, then people can expect IGTV to do the same.

Instagram founder, Kevin Systrom, appropriately announced the new app during an Instagram Live broadcast on Wednesday morning. But in case users were too busy to catch the live broadcast, here's the lowdown: Instagram is coming out with another stand-alone app called IGTV, where users can upload and watch long-form content (that's up to 10 minutes long), which is a change from the one-minute-long Instagram videos that are uploaded to the website now.

Unlike videos on other platforms, IGTV videos are meant to be filmed and watched vertically — which is great news for parents everywhere who don't understand they need to flip their phones horizontally to film video.

Sounds exciting, right? Unfortunately, according to the live broadcast, the app won't be available to download for iPhone and Android immediately — instead, users will have to wait throughout the next few weeks for the app to roll out. But users don't have to just use IGTV to watch long form videos on Instagram — they can update the regular Instagram app now to start watching longer videos from creators. In order to do this, all users have to do is go in to their updated Instagram app, and click on the TV icon next to the paper airplane icon that is located in the top right corner of their Instagram app — it's that simple. Once users click on the TV app, they will be able to see the content uploaded to IGTV from the creators they love.

In the meantime, Instagram has released some tips and tricks in a post on its Instagram account so users know how to navigate the app ahead of its big release. Unlike YouTube, users won't have to search for the content they want to see. When people open IGTV, according to Instagram, they will immediately be able to start watching content from the creators or users they're already following on Instagram — but in order to upload video, users need to create a channel first, according to Instagram. But there are also tabs for users to discover new content and new channels that match their interests, according to Instagram.

The best thing about the app is that anyone can create videos and content for IGTV, according to Instagram. All that users have to do is film the content on their phones or through the app and upload it to IGTV (assuming that uploading video is just as easy to do on the regular Instagram app).

There are a few tricks to navigating IGTV that make it different from any other video app that they might be used to. But, IGTV adopts features that users might already be used to by using Instagram stories, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. IGTV videos play automatically from one person's video to the next, according to Instagram — and users can swipe to skip between videos and find a video they want to see. Seems familiar enough.

"IGTV is for you guys," Systrom told Instagram users during the Instagram Live presentation on IGTV. "It's long form vertical entertainment from the creators you love."

As if Instagram didn't already feel addicting enough, IGTV will definitely add to this addiction. Not only is it giving users more ways to watch their favorite creators, it's giving them a new platform to share that content with friends and to create content of their own — which sounds like a pretty good combination.

Just imagine how many adorable dog videos will be uploaded to the app within a matter of time.