Thank You, Instagram, For (Indirectly) Ruining One of My Favorite Camera Apps

I have a smartphone like many young people my age in today's society. I do not have an iPhone, so when Instagram first arrived on the mobile application market, it wasn't an option for me (*someone correct me if I'm wrong). Searching through my app store, I discovered a few camera apps with some snazzy effects. I downloaded three of them- Vignette, Retro Camera, and FxCamera.

I got rid of Retro Camera after a week or two because there weren't enough options, but I had a love-hate relationship with the fact that photos had to "develop" and weren't immediately available after taking them. After awhile, I started running out of space on my phone and realized that I didn't need both the Vignette and FxCamera app, so one of them had to go. Vignette was pretty much just Diana and Holga effects at the time (we're talking 2-3 years ago), and the photos weren't always the clearest, so it didn't make the cut.

FxCamera made me happy. With each update, more effects were added, functionality was improved, and it was fun to take photos. After Instagram hit the market, I still stuck to FxCamera because I didn't want to sign up for basically another social network of my random photos- that's what I have Facebook and Tumblr for. I didn't want to feel obligated to share photos with the world, and up until a week ago, I never had to.

The last two or three updates to this app created a change- requirement to create an account or sign in with Facebook/Twitter. Starting at least three months ago, the app gave you the option to create an account, or you could continue on to the filters. I would just tap "not now" and snap my one or two photos, then go about my day. With the latest updates, I can no longer use the app without creating an account. Since I refuse to sign up for this, I'll unfortunately have to delete the app. What a bummer.

From a developer standpoint, I understand why FxCamera now requires accounts be made to join the next photo-sharing network site. There are plenty of camera apps out there, and more people jumped on the bandwagon once Instagram got popular. FxCamera has to stay competitive, it has to stay relevant, it has to prove that it's better than Instagram by being a little more like it. The developers made a smart move, honestly, and I wish them success.

For me and thousands of other users of the app, we must now find another camera app that will simply let us take photos without posting them to some online profile where random people can follow and like every photo I take. People who are looking for another Instagram will love the updated FxC, but many of us stuck with this app to avoid another Instagram (because we all knew that other apps would follow). If FxC decides to make it optional again if a person would like to create an account, I'll reinstall it. Until then, I am on the search. Recommendations, anyone?