Instagram kills newly launched ‘Being’ app, which saw 50K downloads its first week

In case there was any doubt where Instagram was drawing the line when it came to its shutdown of third-party feed reading apps, it appears that its decision to revoke API access doesn’t just extend to those that offer an alternative means of browsing the photo-sharing service. It also reaches apps that offer an expansion of what you can do with Instagram – for example, the recently launched app Being, which let you peer into another user’s Instagram for the purpose of discovery, has already been killed off.
The app launched in February to a bit of press coverage, including here on TechCrunch, as well as on The Verge, Re/code, Business Insider, The Next Web, Motherboard and New York Magazine. The well-designed app’s concept was simple – it allowed you to browse Instagram as anyone, whether a pop star, celebrity, techie, politician, tastemaker, or even a brand. You could also use the app to view a friend’s Instagram feed, which, in reality, was more interesting than “being Taylor Swift” on Instagram, for example.
But the app was plagued with problems as soon as it debuted. Its servers almost immediately crashed, initially due to Amazon Web Services performance issues. Then, as the app became featured on the iTunes App Store and by non-tech news media sites like BuzzFeed, Perez Hilton and even Teen Vogue, it struggled under the influx of new users.

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