Build an Instagram Clone App
With Feed, Stories and DMs
Describe your own photo-sharing app and Fastshot builds the feed, profiles, stories, likes, comments and direct messages. Photos land in image storage, everything else in Supabase tables. About 5 to 7 minutes to a first version.
How do you make an Instagram clone app?
Describe a feed of photos from people a user follows, plus stories, likes, comments and direct messages. Fastshot (fastshot.ai) generates a React Native app for iOS and Android, stores photos in an image bucket and saves posts, follows and messages in Supabase. Test it in Expo Go, then publish it as your own social media app.
Last updated: November 4, 2026
What Makes Instagram Instagram?
Instagram is a free photo and video sharing app. People post to their followers or to a select group of friends, and others view, like and comment. An account needs an email address, a username and an age of 13 or older.
Three surfaces do most of the work. The feed shows what the people you follow shared. Stories are casual posts that last 24 hours. Direct messages carry photos, videos and text between friends in private. Reels and the Search and Explore page add video and discovery on top.
A clone does not need all of it on day one. A feed, a profile, likes, comments and follows already feel like a social network. Stories and messages are the next layer, and they are mostly more rows in more tables.
Instagram Features Mapped to Your App
The original feature on the left, the screen it becomes in the middle and the data behind it on the right.
| Instagram feature | How it ships in your app | What it stores |
|---|---|---|
| Share a photo with followers | New Post screen: pick from the photo library with the image picker, add a caption, tap Share | posts: author_id, image_path, caption, created_at; image bucket post-images |
| Feed of people you follow | Home screen listing posts from followed accounts, newest first, with pull to refresh | follows: follower_id, following_id |
| Like a post | Heart button and a double tap on the photo | likes: post_id, user_id (one row per pair) |
| Comment | Comments sheet that updates live when someone replies | comments: post_id, user_id, body, created_at |
| Stories that last 24 hours | A circles bar above the feed and a full-screen story viewer | stories: author_id, image_path, expires_at; image bucket story-images |
| Direct messages | Inbox list and Chat screen with live delivery | conversations and messages: sender_id, body, image_path, read_at |
| Search and Explore | Explore grid ordered by likes and a username search | profiles: username (unique), bio, avatar_path |
| A select group of friends | Close Friends toggle that limits who can open a story | close_friends: owner_id, friend_id |
Screens in Your Photo-Sharing App
The plan Fastshot proposes for this prompt, before it writes any code.
Welcome and sign in
Email, Google or Apple sign-in, then a username and a profile photo.
Home feed
A stories bar on top and a vertical list of photo cards with like and comment buttons.
New Post
Image picker, crop, caption field and a Share button that uploads to storage.
Profile
Avatar, bio, follower counts, a Follow button and a three-column grid of posts.
Story viewer
Full-screen photos that advance on tap and carry a reply box.
Explore
A grid of popular posts and a search bar for usernames.
Inbox and Chat
Conversation list with unread dots and a chat thread with live messages.
Notifications
New followers, likes and comments in one list.
Paste This Prompt Into Fastshot
It describes an original photo-sharing app named Framely. Change the name, colors and tagline to fit your niche.
Create a photo-sharing social app called Framely for iOS and Android. Soft white background, one coral accent color, rounded photo cards.
Sign in with email, Google or Apple (Supabase auth). After the first sign-in, ask for a unique username, a short bio and a profile photo.
Tabs: Home, Explore, New Post, Inbox, Profile.
Home: a stories bar, then a feed of posts from accounts I follow, newest first. Each card shows the photo, the author, a heart button, a comment button and the caption. Double tap the photo to like it.
New Post: choose a photo from the library, add a caption, upload to an image storage bucket, then save the post.
Stories: a photo that disappears from the bar 24 hours after posting. Add a Close Friends list so a story can be limited to chosen people.
Comments: a bottom sheet with live updates.
Explore: grid of the most liked posts this week and a username search.
Inbox: one-to-one chats with text and photos, delivered live.
Profile: avatar, bio, counts, Follow and Message buttons, grid of posts.
Supabase tables: profiles, posts, follows, likes, comments, stories, close_friends, conversations, messages. Turn on realtime for comments and messages. Row level security so users can only edit their own rows.
Send a push notification for a new follower, a new comment and a new message.How to Build Your Photo Feed
Show Fastshot the look you want
Attach a screenshot of a feed layout you like as a reference image, or paste the web address of a site whose style you want. Then paste the Framely prompt so the screens follow your reference.
Approve the plan
Fastshot lists the tabs and screens it intends to build. Read the list, remove anything you do not need yet, such as stories, and approve it.
Connect Supabase and the photo bucket
Tap the connect card in the chat. Fastshot creates the tables and the post-images bucket, with access rules so a user can only change their own posts.
Post from your own phone
Scan the QR code to open the app in Expo Go. Create two accounts, follow one from the other, upload a photo and watch it reach the second feed.
Turn on alerts and a report button
Ask for push notifications for follows, comments and messages. Also ask for a Report Post action and a Block User action, which stores want to see in social apps.
Publish
Choose an app name and icon and publish with your Apple and Google Play accounts. The App Store lesson covers every screen.
Make It Your Own
People already have Instagram. Give them a reason to install yours: a feed only for sneaker collectors, plant swappers, local runners, a school, a church, a fan club or a neighborhood. A narrow audience posts more, trusts the feed and wants to be there.
Then change one rule the big app will not. Keep the feed in time order with no ranking. Limit each post to three photos. Add a weekly prompt that everyone answers. Show posts only from people within walking distance. One clear rule makes the app easy to explain in a store listing.
Money can follow the community. Add a members-only tier with a paywall through the subscription app builder route, or show AdMob banners between posts. Both are options inside Fastshot, so the app can earn from the first day it is live.
Social Apps People Built With Fastshot
Published community apps with feeds, profiles and sharing. Open one to see how it looks.
HDS HUB
A photo and video sharing network with stories, real-time chat and a shopping tab. See HDS HUB in the gallery.
Hiccups
A social app for sharing photos and videos with friends, with post creation, chat, notifications and admin moderation. See Hiccups in the gallery.
Moodfeed
A calmer feed that fills a grid of posts to match the mood you type or say out loud. See Moodfeed in the gallery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build an app like Instagram without coding?
Yes. You describe the feed, profile, story and message screens in plain English and Fastshot writes the React Native code. A first working version arrives in about 5 to 7 minutes, and you change it with follow-up messages.
Where do the photos of my Instagram clone live?
Photos upload to a Supabase storage bucket, and each post row keeps the file path and the caption. Storage accepts image files up to 10 MB each by default, which fits phone photos. Profile pictures use a separate bucket.
How do stories disappear after 24 hours?
Every story row has an expires_at time set a day after posting. The stories bar only loads rows that have not expired, so old stories drop out of view without a manual cleanup. You can keep the files or delete them later.
Will comments and messages appear without refreshing?
Yes. The comments and messages tables are published to Supabase realtime, so a new row shows up on every open screen as soon as someone saves it. A push notification can reach people who have the app closed.
Can I add ads or a subscription to my photo app?
You can add AdMob ads between posts, or a paid tier with Adapty paywalls, for example for an ad-free feed or creator badges. The monetization guide compares both routes.
Can I publish my Instagram clone on the App Store?
Yes. Fastshot builds the iOS and Android files on its own machines and uploads to TestFlight and Google Play with your developer accounts. A social app with user posts also needs a report button and a block action, which you can ask for in chat before submitting.
Does copying Instagram features break any rules?
Features such as a feed, stories and likes are common to many apps. The Instagram name, logo, icons and visual design belong to Meta, so choose your own name and look. A niche focus also gives people a reason to pick your app.
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Build Your Photo-Sharing App Today
Paste the prompt, post your first photo from your phone and invite a friend to follow you.