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STATES CHRONICLE – If you’re a big fan of the ephemeral messaging that Snapchat has spearheaded into the world, you’re most likely going to love the new feature Facebook has in the oven at the time.
According to a Facebook spokesperson, the feature that allows users to send temporary messages that disappear an hour after they were sent has already started the testing phase. True, only users in France are able to verify the intriguing gimmick, but if all goes well – fingers crossed – the rest of us will soon see it, too.
Snapchat users will already be used to the novelty of the feature, as the yellow social network is based on instant messages that automatically get deleted soon after the user has received them. And if you were wondering why is Facebook interested in such a service, you don’t have to look too far for the answer.
The move is a direct response to Snapchat’s success, a social network that now boasts a massive user base of 200 million daily users. Back in 2013, Facebook has attempted to purchase Snapchat for roughly $3 billion, but after failing, it appears that the disappearing feature will make an apparition in the ever-growing Messenger platform.
Reports in the USA Today say that Facebook could have the power to shut down Snapchat if disappearing messages become a permanent feature on its own platform. Turning it on is done by simply tapping on the hourglass icon found at the top of the chat window. Once turned on, the feature affects only the current conversation.
A second tap will disable the feature, allowing all your messages to remain in the chat box and be saved in Messenger’s history. What’s even more interesting is that if the other user screenshots the conversation, you will be notified that your messages have been saved.
Facebook is a well-oiled machine, and building or “borrowing” features from other social media apps is one of the things it’s really good at. But some missed shots have been fired in the past when Facebook tried to compete with Snapchat, such as the Slingshot and Poke features. Both have failed, as Snapchat won out in the end.
So Facebook is really excited by its “latest development in an engaging line of optional product features,” but are you? Zuckerberg’s company is looking forward to hearing your feedback, and so are we. Leave a comment below saying what you would use this feature for.
Image Source: Yahoo!
