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Facebook relaunched its Slingshot app as a competitive response to the popular Snapchat app, where users can view received images from friends which are then deleted right after.
However, the Slingshot 2.0 app now emulates the features of its rival app. Slingshot users can now send pictures to friends and back, but the images will also be deleted, similar to Snapchat, after a friend views the image, or after 24 hours.
Slingshot 2.0 functions similarly to Snapchat's "My Story" feature, where a user's followers and friends can "react" to the user's recent story posts by uploading a picture of their own. Just like Snapchat, Slingshot users can now view all the images and videos they received or sent within the past 24 hours, but will also be deleted after a day.
Additionally, Slingshot users can now send full-screen images and looping videos with just two taps on the screen. Users have five photo filters to choose from and can also add captions and drawings.
In the previous version of Slingshot initially launched in June, users who wished to view a photo from a friend were required to send one back in order to view the received photo.
Slingshot users can now share photos directly to social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Whether the new updates to the Slingshot app will boost its popularity or not remains to be seen. However, its download rank in the United States has been gradually declining since its first launch on Android and iOS platforms.
According to App Annie, Slingshot went from position 601 down to 460 on Dec. 3.
