---
title: "Which came first, Android or Instagram?"
description: "Android vs Instagram: Android came first, by 2 years — 2008 against 2010. What happened in each case, and why the dates are often given differently."
url: https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/android-vs-instagram/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Which came first, Android or Instagram?

**Which came first, Android or Instagram?: Android**

2008 — 2 years before Instagram

Android came first, by 2 years. The HTC Dream, the first Android phone, was announced.

## Side by side

|  | Android | Instagram |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Year | 2008 | 2010 |
| Date | 2008-09-23 | 2010-10-06 |
| Category | technology | technology |
| What happened | The HTC Dream, the first Android phone, was announced. | The app launched on iOS. |

## Android

Android as a company was founded in October 2003 — four years before the iPhone — originally to build an operating system for digital cameras. Google bought it in 2005 and the first Android phone shipped in October 2008, fifteen months after the iPhone went on sale. So Android is older than the iPhone as a project and younger as a product, which is why the question needs the distinction stated.

## Instagram

Instagram launched in October 2010 as an iPhone-only app and took 25,000 users on its first day. Facebook bought it in April 2012 for about $1 billion when it had thirteen employees and no revenue. It is four years younger than Twitter and six years older than TikTok.

## Common questions

### Which came first, Android or Instagram?

Android, by 2 years — 2008 against 2010.

### When did Android start?

2008. The HTC Dream, the first Android phone, was announced.

### When did Instagram start?

2010. The app launched on iOS.

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## Sources

- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]