Remember that time that Facebook accidentally launched its new Snapchat competitor on the iOS App Store? Well a little over week after the trigger was prematurely pulled, Facebook’s Slingshot app has now officially launched.
Facebook today revealed its new app Slingshot, built within its Creative Labs division. As expected, the app is a competitor to Snapchat, allowing users to send photos and videos that disappear after being viewed. The Slingshot team says that this method of sharing leads to “more expressive, raw and spontaneous” shares.
Once you’ve got Slingshot up and running, you can capture a photo or video and then add text and color to it. You’ll then be able to share it with friends, but unlike Snapchat, your Slingshot friends won’t be able to view your message until they send something back to you.
While Slingshot may not appear terribly different from Snapchat at first, the fact that it requires users to share a message before they’re able to view one that they’ve received helps to encourage more app usage. Plus, after Facebook Poke was recently removed from the App Store, Facebook needed a new Snapchat competitor to help keep users in its ecosystem.
Slingshot is launching today on both iOS and Android. The app is compatible with iOS 7 and both Jelly Bean and KitKat. You can grab the iOS app from the App Store right here, and I’ll give you a shout once the Android app goes live in Google Play.
Once you install Slingshot, be sure to share your first impressions with us in the comments section below!
