Facebook launched Slingshot Tuesday. And yes, this time it’s official.
In a desperate attempt to compete with Snapchat, Facebook is introducing a new photo-snapping app for smartphone users everywhere. The only problem is, you can’t see the photo your friend just sent you until you send something back.
This is after Facebook accidentally launched the app June 9, then promptly removed it from the app store later that day.
“It’s like responding to an email without reading the contents,” Steve Kovach wrote in Business Insider. “Last night, I ended up sending photos of my couch, my living room wall, and my eyeball to a few friends just so I could see what they sent me.”
In November 2013, Facebook tried to buy Snapchat for $3 billion to no avail. Instead of providing a simpler method of communication, Facebook released Slingshot, making users want to tear their hair out.
“Slingshot doesn’t reduce the friction in communication, it throws up a giant wall by forcing you to blindly respond to messages before you view them,” Kovach wrote.
According to CNet, Slingshot isn’t marketed under Facebook’s name. Slingshot product designer Joey Flynn said Facebook isn’t anticipating an immediate response from Facebook users, and hopes the app will gain traction slowly.
“We’re not going to fly a flag about it,” Flynn told CNet. “We want it to start with a small group.”
Just in case, Snapchat updated on Tuesday — in the new feature “Our Story,” users at the same event or location can add Snaps to the same Story.