Review: Flickr 2.0 for iOS boosts the brand with elegant viewing and editing

It’s been a long time since anyone got excited about the Flickr app for iPhone. Its longevity, its association with a tired, clunky website, its inherent weaknesses and limitations, and the rise of powerful competitors heavily depressed its initial “wow” factor. It did not help that the free iOS program languished for years under Yahoo’s neglect.

Flickr 2.0 sports a fresh, updated interface.

With new management shaking the Yahoo foundations, the company recently released Version 2 of Flickr for the iPhone, and suddenly—almost miraculously—Flickr was once again cool. And for good reason. A refreshed, modernized interface optimized for the iPhone 5 has reset the focus on good, old Flickr just as the public expressed deep skepticism about its more recent and newly Facebooked darling, Instagram.

The new Flickr, for the very most part, is a delight, and it’s on its way toward fulfilling its long-ago promise to let users integrate, access, and share their photos between nearly all platforms. The renewed push toward sharing and, to a lesser extent, creative effects is Flickr 2.0’s opportunity to advance the old and introduce the new. At the same time, Flickr continues to cater to its loyal following. With this new release, Flickr is sure to attract an army of new adherents.

Overall, I was impressed. Flickr 2.0 is quick, efficient, and intuitive. But it comes with drawbacks: it still has some quirks and glitches, it is not a universal app for the iPad (you have to work in 2X mode on the tablet), it’s not video friendly, and it otherwise does not stun with unique new features.

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