Facebook, Inc briefly released messaging app Slingshot, which finally debuted for real on Tuesday. The app, which is currently avialable in the App Store on Google Play & Itunes, promises to grant Facebook users the fun of competitor Snapchat.
Using Slingshot has made us feel closer, and we can't wait for others to try it out. It's the second app from Facebook, Inc Inventive Labs and is available today starting in the US on iPad®, iPhone®and iPod® screens to anyone else in a Slingshot and Android (Jelly Bean and KitKat). Get it at sling.me/download
Like Snapchat, after logging in with your phone number, Slingshot lets you send self-destructing photos and videos, which you can draw or annotate upon. You can then "sling it" to one or more friends (which you can find using Facebook, if you choose). They can choose to swipe the message away without seeing the message at all, or they can reply back to unlock the mysterious shot they've been sent.
This move could make the app extremely sticky, like Poking used to be on Facebook's website: "Well, I can't just let that Poke sit there, I've got to Poke them back!"
But others may not appreciate feeling "forced" to reply back in one of these conversations just to see the message someone sent. I could see originally entertaining threads dwindling into a series of pained "No seriously, don't reply back to this" messages that go on ad infinitum.
Slingshot also represents Facebook's latest attempt to break up the components of its online platform into separate, single-serving mobile apps, a la Google. There's Facebook Messenger, for chatting; Facebook's Paper, for reading and discovering new content; Facebook, for staying up to date on friend's activities and sharing your own; and the failed Facebook Poke and Facebook Camera apps (now replaced by Instagram). Unlike Google though, Facebook's app divergence features a lot of overlap. Now, if you want to chat with a friend, you can choose to mention them on Facebook, send them a direct message in Messenger, tag them in an Instagram photo, or send them an ephemeral message in the new app Slingshot.
With Slingshot, Facebook, Inc obviously hopes to target the youthful masses who shun The Social Network for newer alternatives. But will it instead just add to the confusion of an already bloated messaging network?
Take advantage of these free tools to satisfy your fun, moments when you share snaps on Slingshot. What do you think? Have you used any of these tools? Do you have any to add to the list?
Download App from Itunes & Google Play
Keep watching Slingshot updates & features on Official Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
Original article: Facebook Launches New 'Slingshot' Messaging App Strikingly Share Moments