During the last few years Facebook has been trying to purchase Snapchat, the first messaging app, where everything you send disappear once it has been read. But its CEO Evan Spiegel has said no every time to the acquisition, even last year when Facebook offered $3 billions for his product.
Since this negative, the Menlo Park Company has been working on an alternative similar to Snapchat, and last week finally we were able to see the result. Its name is Slingshot. The app allows you to share photos, videos and text with your contacts and sending also “reaction shots”.
During its presentation Facebook Creative Labs, the developer of the idea, has stressed their concern about privacy. That is why Slingshot uses an unlocking mechanism. Unless you send content to the friend who has sent you a photo or a text, you won’t be able to see what he has sent you. This is known as “slinging”.
Like Snapchat, all images are deleted once sent and users can scribble or type over their photos. But with Slingshot you are not allowed to program a countdown to erase your content once your friend has received it. Once you reply to your friend the previous image or text he or she sent you will disappear.
According to its Product Manager Will Ruben, they have conceived the app with the idea of everyone participating on the conversation: Slingshot is based on interaction. Their creators want everybody to participate actively and not just being an spectator. That way preasure will be reduce and creativity will provide awesome experiences.
That is why at least you send a message to the people you are talking to, you won’t be able to see his messages.
It is important to remark that you don’t need a Facebook account to use this new app, they are completely independent platforms. Slingshot will take contacts from your phone and not from your profile at the Social Network.
Two weeks ago, the app was rolled-out accidentally, maybe because the company has programmed an automatically date for the launch. For some hours the app was available on App stores for users in India, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand
For now it is only available on the United States but we hope in a few months it will arrive to the rest of the countries.
