Flickr gets a little Instagrammy with latest iPhone app update

Yahoo! has just updated its Flickr app for iOS, bringing some Instagram-style filters with it.

The update is a fairly major one and sees the entire app stripped down, completely redesigned and relaunched, apparently in a bid to get people using the photo-sharing service again. It’s also entirely consistent with new CEO Marissa Mayer’s “mobile first” strategy.

Once you’re logged in to the Flickr app, using either your Yahoo! or Facebook details you’re given detailed instructions on how to use the new features in the app.

The big news however is the 16 unique filters, which means you can take pictures, filter and share images all using Flickr’s own tools. It also comes with Twitter integration, giving it a slight edge over Instagram, which recently killed the ability to preview its photos on Twitter. There’s also support for Facebook, Tumblr and email.

It’s that ability to share which might unleash Flickr’s full potential. The service has always been a firm favourite with serious photo types, but Yahoo!’s failure to build on that base means that it’s never really held mass public appeal.

As Instagram showed however, keeping all the social networks happy all the time isn’t easy. That said, Flickr might just be Yahoo!’s best chance at social success. Updating the app is a good start, now it needs keep its existing community happy, while drawing new users in. Simple right? Yeah.