Is There Any Way to Save Instagram Pics to Your iPhone?

To protect users’ privacy and ownership of images, Instagram does not allow you to copy or share pictures posted by others. That said, it can be done -- you can save virtually any Instagram picture to your iPhone’s camera roll using a third-party app, Web viewer and your device’s photo-saving capabilities. However, it’s important to heed Instagram’s request that “copyright ownership is respected by everyone. If you want to express your excitement over a beautiful post, it’s best to double tap on the image to like it!” Do secure permission before copying an Instagram photo you don’t own.

You can shoot photos on the fly using Instagram’s built-in camera link and then edit and post them immediately afterward. To save these pictures to your iPhone’s camera roll, tap the app’s “Profile” icon on the bottom right, followed by the “Gear” icon on the upper right. Scroll down to the Preferences section to toggle the “Save Original Photos” switch to “On.” Henceforth, the original Instagram photos you take, edit and post, save to your iPhone at the highest resolution possible for your particular model: 2048 by 2048 pixels on the iPhone 4s and newer, 1936 by 1936 pixels on the iPhone 4 and 1536 by 1536 pixels on the iPhone 3GS.

A number of apps available on the App Store make it possible for you to browse through Instagram and save the photos you like on your iPhone. Among the more popular apps for this purpose are the Instake, Instaker Free, InstaPort Free and InstaSync apps. These apps are free, and ad-free premium versions are available. All require access to your iPhone’s photo library. Signing in to your Instagram account is optional but necessary to get the most functionality from the app. Generally, you tap or double-tap an Instagram picture you like, followed by a “Download” icon to save the picture to your camera roll.

Use your iPhone Safari app to visit Instagram Web viewer sites such as Statigram, Gramfeed and Webstagram. These Instagram-recommended Web viewers require authorized access to your Instagram account before allowing you to search through them by user, hashtag, subject and popularity. To save an enticing picture on your iPhone, first double-tap it to maximize it on your screen. Then, press on it and choose “Save Image” from the pop-up options. The Instagram picture drops into your camera roll.

Navigate to a desired Instagram picture on your iPhone using any of these apps or Web viewers. Next, reverse-pinch the image to enlarge it on your screen. Take a screen shot of the picture by simultaneously pressing and releasing the “Sleep/Wake” button on the upper-right edge of your iPhone and the “Home” button below your screen. A copy of the Instagram image saves to your camera roll at the screenshot resolution of your particular iPhone model.