Flickr, Vimeo integration likely to bolster social ties in iOS 7
In the upcoming overhaul of its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch operating system, iOS 7, Apple plans to include an increased presence of third-party social networks, including Flickr and Vimeo, according to a person familiar with the software.
Context & Ripple Effects
This report extends an arc that goes back at least to January 2011, when 9to5Mac flagged Apple's plans to counter Facebook with iOS 5's Media Stream — evidence that Apple has long preferred wiring sharing into the OS rather than leaving it to apps. The new claim is narrower but consequential: per a person familiar with the software, iOS 7 will raise the profile of third-party social networks inside iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, naming Flickr and Vimeo specifically.
For Flickr this lands on fertile ground: Yahoo spent December 2012 pushing an Instagram-inspired iPhone update with one-tap sign-ins and 16 filters, rebuilding the service for mobile first. OS-level integration would convert that app-level effort into default distribution. The story travelled widely on pickup day — Business Insider, iMore, Gotta Be Mobile, Ubergizmo and others all ran it — reflecting how much weight readers give any leak about what Apple bakes into the system.
First-order effects
- Flickr and Vimeo gain placement in iOS's system-level sharing surfaces ahead of the summer iOS 7 launch, reaching every iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that upgrades without requiring users to install anything.
- Yahoo's mobile-first Flickr rebuild gets an Apple-blessed channel, while Vimeo — historically a smaller, creator-oriented video site — receives mainstream iOS exposure it could not buy.
Second-order effects
- Other photo and video networks are forced to compete for the same integration slots, since OS-native placement effectively ranks services for hundreds of millions of users who never open a settings panel.
- Services already integrated at the system level face dilution of that advantage: if Apple widens the roster, being 'built in' stops differentiating any one network.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Apple consolidates its role as the access layer for social distribution on iOS — deciding which networks get native reach — echoing the 2011-era strategy of shaping social behavior through the operating system itself.
- Third-party platforms' growth strategies tilt further toward negotiating with OS vendors for placement, making integration deals a competitive battleground alongside apps and APIs.
The trend: Mobile platforms are absorbing third-party social networks into their operating systems, shifting leverage from apps with users to OS vendors who control the sharing layer.