Today Twitter announced the release of Vine for Android, the popular 6-second video sharing app now available on Android devices for the first time. Handsets running Google’s Android 4.0 mobile operating system or higher are able to download the Vine app for free via Google Play.
Vine, which boasts an impressive 13 million users since its release in January this year, has been readily available on iOS for virtually that entire time and will only skyrocket further by tapping into Android market share that dominates the likes of Apple’s mobile OS. Twitter bought Vine back in October 2012 for an undisclosed amount.
Keep in mind though, eager Android user, that the now available Vine app isn’t quite the same as what’s currently running on iOS. On Twitter’s blog, the company noted,
“As a result, the two apps are not perfectly in sync, but that won’t be the case for long. Over the coming weeks, you’ll see frequent updates with new features –– including front-facing camera, search, mentions and hashtags, and the ability to share to Facebook –– as well as bug fixes and performance improvements. Of course, this is only the beginning –– we have exciting plans for features that could exist only on Android.”
Nothing really to worry about here except for the fact that Android versions are running slightly behind those of iOS. I’m sure Twitter will be able get its Android version caught up to its iOS, but in the meantime users can still enjoy shooting, sharing, and watching short looping 6-second videos. Don’t forget the droid-specific “feature that’s unique to Android: zoom.”
Having never used Vine myself, I cannot attest to the enjoyment from shooting and/or watching 6-second videos. But much like Twitter condensed the idea of Facebook status updates to a shortened 140 characters, Vine is steamrolling in terms of popularity and convenience as evidenced by its 13 million iOS users alone.
Let’s hear from the Vine enthusiasts out there. What do you love about the video sharing app? What do you hate? How can Vine continue to revolutionize the way we shoot and share video?
