Vine arrives on Android handsets

Graeme Parton +

Twitter’s video-sharing platform, Vine, has finally arrived on the Android OS after amassing an impressive 13 million iOS users. The app is available as a free download to owners of devices running Android 4.0 upwards.

The software, which was launched on iOS only five months ago when it was purchased by Twitter, enables users to create six-second video clips to share with friends and followers. Sara Haider, an Android engineer, spoke about the app’s popular features, saying:

“Vine for Android has many of the features that more than 13 million people have grown to love: easy video creation with automatic playback and sound; Explore, where you can discover popular posts and see what’s trending; and Find Friends, where you can find and invite people you know to join.”

The version made available to Android users isn’t quite complete, however, with some prominent features missing. A statement on Vine’s website has said that updates will be released in the near future to bring it up to speed with the iOS counterpart. The updates, which Vine said would be released frequently, are expected to allow the use of front-facing cameras, push notifications and hashtag features, as well as a tag and user search function.

The Android version is one step ahead, however, with Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One owners able to zoom to create deeper videos. This feature is expected to make its way on to other handsets in the near future.

Many Android commentators are expecting Vine’s latest release to spark a surge of comparisons with Instagram, which focuses instead on still images. Instagram launched on Android after the iOS version had built a user base of 30 million, and then went on to reach a million downloads in its first 12 hours on the Google Play store.

No doubt business owners and content marketers will begin to realise the opportunities offered by Vine as its popularity grows throughout 2013.