BEIRUT: Instagram, a mobile phone application that allows users to share pictures, announced late Thursday that its community has reached some 80 million and that some 4 billion photos have been shared on its site since its launch in 2010.

“We’re excited to announce that the Instagram community has grown to over 80 million registered users who have shared nearly 4 billion photos!” the Instagram team said in a blog post.

While initially limited to Apple’s popular iPhone, in 2012 Instagram launched an Android version of the popular app, increasing its availability on a variety smartphones running the operating system.

In April, Facebook said it would pay $1 billion in cash and stock for the photo-sharing application, months before the popular social media website went public.