Facebook is said to be planning to release an alternative to the popular chat application Snapchat soon. The most important feature would be the sharing of content that is removed after one view, just like with Snapchat. Facebook already tried it with Poke before.
Rumors about the new Facebook chat application, which would have been called Slingshot internally, come from The Financial Times, which claims to have sources. The software has been in development for several months, with input from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The main functionality of Slingshot is the sharing of messages, photos and videos that disappear after viewing them. This functionality underlies the popularity of the Snapchat chat application.
Although Facebook itself has not yet announced anything, it is possible that Slingshot, of which it is still unclear whether the software will also be released with this name, will be launched this month. It is likely that the software can be used independently of the social networking site itself. Further details about the functionality are not yet clear.
Facebook already had an alternative to Snapchat with Poke, which was released in 2012. However, the app was not a success and earlier this month the company pulled the plug. The fact that the company continues to try to compete with Snapchat, if the rumors are true, probably has to do with its popularity among young people. Earlier it appeared that Facebook is struggling to keep the attention of young people and that many are switching to competitors, such as Snapchat. Facebook previously tried to buy Snapchat for $3 billion, but the offer was rejected.