A man is silhouetted against a video screen with an Facebook logo
A man is silhouetted against a video screen with an Facebook logo. Reuters

Facebook is reportedly working on a disappearing messaging app similar to 'Snapchat,' which is dubbed as 'Slingshot.' It is worth noting that, this is not the first time Facebook has tried to take Snapchat head on.

Poke, released in 2012 was touted to be the Snapchat killer but taken down because it could not attract users like Snapchat. Notably, Evan Spiegel, the current CEO of Snapchat famously shunned a $3 billion offer from Facebook.

On the other hand, YouTube and Google are deliberating on buying Twitch for a solid $1 billion. For those unfamiliar with Twitch, it is a video platform that lets gamers to share and showcase the games they play (live) to viewers across the globe.

Snapchat Clone Slingshot

According to reports, the social networking giant Facebook has been working for several months on a disappearing messaging app called Slingshot. The app allows users to send photos and short video messages that can be viewed only 'once' by simply tapping on the profile picture. Moreover, the message gets deleted shortly after being viewed.

Facebook could launch the Slingshot app as early as this month, says SEJ. However, the report was quick to point out that there is a possibility that the app may never see the light of the day.

In addition, the Slingshot app will not be coupled with Facebook Messenger; instead it is expected to be a stand-alone app. Nevertheless, Facebook has not confirmed the existence of this disappearing messaging app at this point in time.

Google/YouTube to Buy Twitch

Although Google (YouTube) has not officially confirmed this news yet, the search giant is eyeing on the video game live-streaming app Twitch. According to Mashable, within 9 months from the inception, Twitch boasted a staggering 16 million unique monthly visitors and the growth percentage stood at 11% per month. By September 2012, Twitch was able to attract $15 million round of funding. In addition, they were able to amass a cool $20 million in 2013.

It is worth noting that, although the unique visitors figure of Twitch is quite good; in order to live stream the video games, a user should have access to a stable internet connection along with great system hardware as basic requirements.