Being pulls app after Instagram blocks API access

Instagram has blocked access to its APIs to the app Being. The app enabled users to see the entire Instagram feed of celebrities.

Within a week of Being's launch, its access to Instagram's application programming interface (API) – a set of codes that enables data sharing between apps – was blocked, because it was reportedly using Instagram's API to share feed of users with other unintended users.

"On Thursday (February 25), the founder of Being, Adam Mashaal, discovered that his app's access to Instagram's API had been disabled. Adam and the Being team are investigating the issue but have not heard anything from Instagram as to whether this was intentional," a Being spokeswoman told IBTimes.

According to her, Being was created as a companion app to leverage on Instagram content and enhances user experience. Till date, the app has generated roughly thousands of likes and follows on Instagram.

Upon logging in into the Instagram, users get to see the activities of their friends, celebrities or communities on their timeline that includes posts (pictures, videos), likes, shares of what other users post on the platform. But Being app would allow a user to see the timeline of other users, like being someone else.

A football fan, for example, could see the timeline of Cristiano Ronaldo using Being app. The fan would see a cloned version of Ronaldo's timeline, seeing who the footballer follows as well as all of the pictures of Ronaldo uploaded on Instagram. However, Being only allowed users to view other people's timelines – they could not like, unlike or share the posts.

"Seeing Instagram from someone else's perspective unlocks a whole new layer of discovery. From pop stars to presidential candidates, Being lets you see what Instagram looks like from the perspective of any other user based on who they're following," claimed Being's App Store description.

"Being has had incredible success since its launch on February 18, 2016. To date, over half-a-million feeds have been viewed on the app from over 40,000 active users. 11,000 people have downloaded Being in the last 24 hours alone and it was of the top 30 social media apps in the App Store," she added.