It’s been well-documented for a while now that Facebook is gearing up to release an app rivaling photo-sharing and destroying service Snapchat, called Slingshot, but this week, the tech giant have fumbled its release.
According to The Huffington Post, the company accidentally added Slingshot to the App Store in select markets on Monday afternoon, only to remove it shortly after. A Facebook spokesperson later confirmed to the Post via email that the release was an accident but did not clarify when the app would be officially available.
“Earlier today, we accidentally released a version of Slingshot, a new app we’re working on,” read the email. “With Slingshot, you’ll be able to share everyday moments with lots of people at once. It’ll be ready soon and we’re excited for you to try it out.”
Just like Snapchat, Slingshot will allow users to take photos and short videos of themselves which will be deleted after friends view them. Unlike its main competitor, friends can’t see the message until they sling something back.
This would be the second time Facebook has attempted to muscle in on Snapchat’s turf, and the latest since Mark Zuckerberg‘s $3 billion acquisition offer was knocked back. In 2012 Facebook released Poke, a service which allowed users to send messages that would disappear after being viewed, to little success. The app was eventually killed off in May this year.
