Narrative: Facebook Copying Snapchat
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Facebook is testing a clone of Snapchat stories inside Messenger – The Verge (Sep 30, 2016)
Yet another experimental attempt by Facebook to recreate a Snapchat feature, this time within Messenger, and only in Poland. Following two early attempts to recreate Snapchat in totality in its own new apps, much of Facebook’s Snacphat cloning in 2016 has come through both features within other apps and more experimental approaches, launching new features or apps in single countries, rather than making a big global announcement. This seems smart, given Facebook’s history in this space, many of its attempts having fallen flat.
via The Verge
Instagram just cloned Snapchat’s Stories feature to get more people sharing – Recode (Aug 2, 2016)
Facebook’s first successful attempt to clone a Snapchat feature ironically came not in Facebook but in Instagram, an app it was able to acquire (unlike Snapchat itself). There’s plenty of evidence at this point that Instagram Stories have done very well for Facebook (and some that it’s hit Snapchat hard).
via Recode
Facebook Slingshot is much more than a Snapchat clone – The Verge (Jun 17, 2014)
This article suggests that Slingshot was not just a Snapchat clone, and it did have additional, original features too, but it was almost universally seen as yet another attempt by Facebook to copy Snapchat, following its failed attempt to buy the company in 2013. Slingshot was finally killed off when Facebook shut down its Creative Labs team in late 2015.
via The Verge
Snapchat Spurned $3 Billion Acquisition Offer from Facebook – WSJ (Nov 13, 2013)
This is, as far as we know, the only time Facebook actually tried to buy Snapchat outright, and although Facebook had attempted to clone Snapchat for the first time in 2012, most of its efforts to copy features or the entire app have come since, starting in 2014 and accelerating dramatically in 2016.
via WSJ
Facebook Launches Snapchat Competitor “Poke”, An iOS App For Sending Expiring Text, Photos, And Videos – TechCrunch (Dec 21, 2012)
Facebook’s first attempt to copy Snapchat came in the form of its Poke app, launched in late 2012 and eventually killed off for good in May 2014 after it failed to gain meaningful traction.
via TechCrunch