Australian Snapchat users were provided a Facebook-fueled alternative on Thursday when the Slingshot ephemeral image-sharing app launched globally.
Snapchat’s worldwide popularity has attracted some 26 million users in the US alone, responsible for some 400 million daily snaps, since launching in 2011. Hoping to cut into Snapchat’s domination of the time sensitive, disappearing selfie market, Facebook today released an Andriod and iOS supported app based on the same premise, but with one major catch- the sharing of time-sensitive selfies has to be mutually desired. In order to unlock their received content from a blob of messy pixels, users are required to first “slingshot” an image back to the original sender.
Unlike Snapchat where images have a maximum duration of 10 seconds, another major difference includes sent slingshots only deleted when ‘swiped away’ by the recipient and can last as long as 30 days.
In a cautious approach to branding, Facebook has also removed any type of association with the app, even opting to use the device’s phonebook to find Slingshot friends ahead of the traditional Facebook friend finding feature.
“The key piece of the app is the shot-for-shot mechanism,” US product designer Joey Flynn told News Ltd.
“It’s creative and inspiring … and it’s meant for everyday moments. In the video reactions, you can take one of those moments and add to it in an awesome, collaborative feel.”
