Instagram photos disappear from Twitter feeds

(Credit: Instagram)

Instagram photos have vanished from Twitter as the photo-sharing app turned off all support for the microblogging site.

Facebook ended all support today for Twitter cards, meaning Twitter users won't be able to view Instagram photos from within their Twitter feeds.

Users are instead greeted by white space where the image formerly appeared.

Twitter noted the move in a blog update this afternoon:

"Instagram has disabled photo integration with Twitter. As a result, photos are no longer appearing in Tweets or user photo galleries. While tweeting links to Instagram photos is still possible, you can no longer view the photos on Twitter, as was previously the case."

A Facebook representative pointed out that Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said last week at the Le Web conference that one of the main reasons his service cut off the Twitter card integration was that Instagram wants its users to view their photos on its own Web site and not on Twitter.

The move comes as Twitter has been restricting access to third-party tweeting software and limiting access that third-party companies such as Instagram get to Twitter users' lists of followers. Last week, Instagram stopped using Twitter's cards feature to let Twitter users see photos shared with Instagram.

Rolled out in June, Twitter cards allow partner Web sites to present their content in a "more engaging way." Twitter users can expand tweets of participating companies to see content previews, images, videos, and other information. Among the many card offerings is one for photos, which puts an image in the center of a tweet.

However, Twitter appears poised to take on Instagram directly by offering sets of photo filters through its mobile apps, according to a report in The New York Times. The Times reported that "in the coming months, Twitter plans to update its mobile applications to introduce filters for photos that will allow people to share altered images on Twitter and bypass Instagram."