Facebook Slingshot goes global: Self-destructing message app begins rolling out internationally
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Facebook has launched a self-destructing message service aimed at taking on Snapchat.
Called Slingshot, it is designed to appeal to fans of Snapchat and other messaging apps that let people send self-destructing messages to friends.
However the app adds a novel twist - users cannot see their friend's pictures until they send one back.
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The Slingshot app allows people to send messages to friends - but they can only view them if they send a message back. The app also allows people to react to an image (right)
HOW IT WORKS
After downloading, you can sign up either with a Facebook account or your mobile phone number.
You add contacts based on your Facebook friends and phone contacts.
Opening the app takes you to its camera, which has a 'shoot' button for taking a snapshot and a 'selfie' button.
After taking a photo, you can type a message of up to 140 characters on it, draw a picture or send a 15 second video.
You can then send it to some or all of your Slingshot contacts.
On Slingshot, you can see a message only if you send one back.
Until you do, you'll only see a pixelated preview of what's in store.
'With Slingshot, we wanted to build something where everybody is a creator and nobody is just a spectator,' the Facebook team behind the free app said.
'When everyone participates, there's less pressure, more creativity and even the little things in life can turn into awesome shared experiences. This is what Slingshot is all about.'
Slingshot draws inevitable comparisons to Snapchat. Facebook even tried to buy Snapchat's maker - for $3 billion, according to published reports. But there are some key differences between the two.
Slingshot was set to be available Tuesday for U.S. users, though the company accidentally released it last week in Apple's app store, giving some vigilant Facebook watchers an early glimpse before the app was removed from the store.
Slingshot works with both Apple and Android devices.
A Facebook account isn't required.
'Photos and videos that don't stick around forever allow for sharing that's more expressive, raw and spontaneous,' said Facebook.
The app shows a pixellated preview (left) until a 'sling' message is sent, at which point it is unlocked
'We can connect the same way we like to live: in the moment. We've enjoyed using Snapchat to send each other ephemeral messages and expect there to be a variety of apps that explore this new way of sharing.
'With Slingshot, we saw an opportunity to create something new and different: a space where you can share everyday moments with lots of people at once.'
FACEBOOK'S STEALTH LAB
Slingshot is the second app to come out of Facebook's Creative Labs, an internal project designed to develop separate apps in a startup-like environment.
The first app from the lab was Paper, a social news reader that came out in February.
The effort comes as Facebook seeks to broaden its reach beyond its 1.28 billion users by splintering off some of its functions to separate apps - and creating stand-alone apps for entirely new features and audiences.
Unlike with Snapchat, there is no time limit on when a message disappears.
Once you are done looking at it, you can flick it off to the side and it self-destructs, much the same way you'd reject a potential mate on Tinder's dating app.
Slingshot also allows reaction shots.
This splits your screen in half and lets you snap a photo to return to the sender. In this case, the recipient won't have to send back a message to view your response.
Ten people have been working on Slingshot since January. It grew out of a December hackathon at Facebook where people were trying to figure out out 'new ways of sharing,' Flynn says.
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