Facebook is testing a Snapchat-like disappearing message within the Messenger app among users in France. The move came after the social network giant failed to acquire Snapchat for $3 billion in 2013.
Snapchat is the strongest social media competitor of Facebook. A recent report indicated that Snapchat already reached 6 billion video daily views. Facebook has 8 billion video views every day.
Facebook aims to make Messenger the best way to communicate
A spokeswoman for Facebook confirmed that the social network giant is testing a new feature that gives users the option to set a message to self-destruct one hour after sending it.
In a statement, the spokeswoman wrote, “Starting today, we’re conducting a small test in France of a feature that allows people to send messages that disappear an hour after they’re sent. Disappearing messages gives people another fun option to choose from when they communicate on Messenger. We look forward to hearing people’s feedback as they give it a try.”
The spokeswoman also stated that Facebook aims to add optional features to make Messenger the best way for users to communicate with the people that matters most to them (family, friends, and others).
Facebook Messenger users in France could turn on and off the disappearing messages feature by the tapping the hourglass icon in the app.
The social network giant’s spokeswoman said they would love to hear the feedbacks of users, who would try the disappearing messages. The feature is currently available for select users in France, but the company indicated its intention for a major roll out if the test is successful.
Facebook photo editing app for iOS
It is not the first time for Facebook to offer a Snapchat-like app. In June, this year, the social network giant released the Slingshot, a photo-editing app for iOS. Slingshot allows users to markup a Snapchat-like image with colorful drawings and text before sending it people.
Meanwhile, Facebook recently introduced a new notification app called Notify to provide users with the latest information about their interests such as sports, news, movies, music, or shopping. The app is available for iPhone users in the United States.
