A few days after announcing 4.25 million users in 7 months and roughly two weeks after the latest 1.7 update, Instagram just released version 1.8 in the App Store, adding the usual speed and stability optimizations and a couple of new interesting features. The app went under some speed-related updates before, but now it feels snappier than ever, really: I’m sure the future version 1.9 will make this statement obsolete, but Instagram 1.8 is fast at opening new screens, loading photos and comments. Speaking of which, the team reorganized the comment section to make it faster and more interactive – check out the screenshot above or simply try to leave a comment to a photo and see how it works for you. You get full access to a comment interface that, if you’re viewing your own photo, allows you to delete comment with a swipe or by hitting the gear icon in the upper right corner. In the text entry field, Instagram now comes with username autocompletion for faster writing and replies – just type the “@” symbol and Instagram will retrieve a list of users you can address a reply to. But more importantly, version 1.8 now lets me double-tap on photos to like them, which is incredibly more intuitive than hitting a dedicated heart-shaped button. Overall, it’s (once again) a nice update.

Get Instagram 1.8 in the App Store.