One of the biggest annoyances of using Instagram is when I have a friend who also uses Twitter and I want to mention them in a photo that I’m about to post to Twitter, except their Instagram and Twitter usernames are completely different.
It’s not a huge inconvenience, but it’d just be easier if everything was the same. Instagram says they just solved that problem and now Instagram names will magically be translated to their proper Twitter handle when posted on Twitter.
Here’s how Instagram explains it on their blog:
For photos shared to Twitter, Instagram now translates @mentions for users whose Twitter username and Instagram username differ.
If the @mentioned user has connected Instagram to Twitter:
- The user’s Instagram username will appear in the photo caption
- The user’s Twitter username will appear in the tweet
If the @mentioned user has not connected Instagram to Twitter:
- The user’s Instagram username will appear in the photo caption
- The @ sign will be removed from the username when shared to Twitter
For @mentions that do not match any Instagram usernames, the @ sign will remain when shared to Twitter.
Crisis solved. Now your friend Instagram friend @StaceyRodrigo, who was late to jump on Twitter train, can know when you’re mentioning her on her @StaceyRodrigo87 Twitter handle. It’s the little things in life.