The need for an Android emulator has ended, at least for some people who only used it for uploading photos to Instagram from their computer. Thanks to the advancement of browser technology, we now can simulate a mobile experience on a desktop browser without additional extensions or apps.
For those using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or other Chromium-based browsers, I have good news; you can post something on Instagram. And not only that, posting an Instagram story is something you can do as well.
Of course, visiting Instagram from the mentioned browsers will just showing you the basic features of the service. You need to switch on a specific function on the browser to allow it to behave like a mobile app.
Check out the guide below for more.
1. Go to Instagram Web on a computer and log in to your account.
2. Now, right-click on any area, select Inspect.
3. Click on the icon menu and be sure it’s docked to the right.
4. Then click Toggle device toolbar.
5. You should notice the web are is warped into a smartphone dimension.
6. Click Dimensions and select a preferred device dimension. For instance, I’m going to choose Pixel 2.
7. And refresh the page (Ctrl+R).
8. The Instagram page would be refreshed, complete with the buttons to post a photo and story
The browser is basically switched to a mobile mode which forces any websites visited in that tab to push their mobile version. Of course, it won’t be as rich as a native Instagram app, but it delivers the ability to post a photo or story and a few basic editings.
This mobile view will only be active when the Inspect (DevTools) is running. It won’t affect other tabs so other websites will remain intact.
DevTools is a tool used by developers, designers, and marketers to manipulate a website’s appearance to help them on their projects. You can learn more about it here.