Karissa Bell
Facebook may be working on yet another Snapchat clone.
The social network is developing a standalone camera app meant to “encourage its 1.6 billion users to create, and share, more photos and videos,” according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal.
The report, which credits unnamed sources familiar with Facebook’s plans, says the app is being created by a team in London and is “similar” to Snapchat. The unnamed app reportedly launches on the camera — like Snapchat — and will reportedly integrate with Instagram and other Facebook-owned apps. It will also allow users to share live streamed video back to Facebook, according to the report.
A representative for Facebook declined to comment on the report. The company is also rumored to be working on a standalone app for 360-degree videos.
If the new camera app launches — and it’s not clear that it will — it would be far from the first time Facebook has attempted to make its own Snapchat-like camera app.
Here’s a brief look at all the times the company has tried (and failed) to release a camera app:
2012: Facebook Camera — An Instagram-like photo sharing app released just weeksafter it announced its Instagram acquisition
2012: Facebook Poke — Its first attempt at a straight-up Snapchat clone, Poke was released in 2012 but failed to gain traction, it was pulled from the App Store in 2014
2014: Slingshot — Another disappearing messaging app that failed to take off despite the fact that it didn’t require a Facebook account to use. Facebook pulled the app in 2015.
2014: Bolt — An experimental app from the Instagram team, Bolt was first launched in New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa but never made it to the U.S. It was pulled in 2015.
2015: Riff — Another app from Facebook’s now defunct Creative Labs team, Riff was premised on groups of friends sharing and remixing video clips. It was pulled later that year.
