The folks at 6tag have produced a remarkably complete Instagram client for Windows Phone—much more so than the official Instagram app, which is still technically in beta. Unlike that beta, the free 6tag app can upload videos, show maps, and apply people tags. It even has all the standard Instagram photo filters and sharing options. While the official app gets all its ducks in a row, 6tag is your best choice for using the social photo community on a Windows Phone, which is why it's an Editors' Choice app for the platform.

6tag comes from prolific developer Rudy Huyn, who's contributed some remarkable work to the Windows Phone app store, including client apps for Vine, Wikipedia, and SnapChat. One concern about this excellent app is that Instagram may clamp down on this kind of third-party app that offers full functionality with the service. Instagram's API use agreement states that apps trying to reproduce the Instagram user experience are not allowed, so it remains to be seen whether the company considers 6tag to fall into that category and whether the policy is enforced.

Setup and Signup
I tested the 6tag app on both a Nokia Lumia 928 and a crave-worthy Nokia Lumia 1020, with its fabled 41 megapixel shooter. Before you even download the app, the 6tag store entry gets your permission to use your phone's location. Sign-in was identical to that for the official Instagram app—except its splash screen tauntingly played a video. Accept a privacy policy, and you're up and running.

On first run, you'll see an animated tutorial, which simply shows how you can swipe through the app's various functions. Hitting the "let's go" button at the bottom takes you into a very familiar-looking Instagram view. Just as in the official app, you can swipe through the app's four main modes: home, activity, discovery, and profile.

If you add 6tag's tile to your home screen, it isn't "live" at all: It doesn't even show the number of new activities as the official Instagram client does. Nor does it include any lock screen entries, but it does show "toast" notifications when new activity happens.  

Consuming

The typical Instagram feed of photos and now videos scrolls up and down with a finger swipe. All the community features are accessible in the app: double tap to heart a pic; tap the speech bubble to add a comment; tap the heart icon to see all the likers. As is customary, you can "pull" down—dragging down with your finger—to refresh your feed with new posts.