Facebook ‘accidentally’ releases Snapchat alternative and takes it offline again

Facebook, in its own words, accidentally put an app called Slingshot online for a short time. The app is an alternative to Snapchat and makes it possible to send photos that delete themselves if the recipient has seen them.

Once Slingshot is out, Facebook wants to ensure an ongoing chat conversation by requiring users to send something back in order to read messages from friends. To send something, users have to swipe up photos, something the app takes its name Slingshot from.

The app went live in the App Store in a number of countries, but went offline shortly afterwards, The Verge writes. The application would not be ready for the general public yet. The app would probably come from the division within Facebook that also made news app Paper. It is unknown when Facebook will release the application and keep it in the App Store. It is also unclear whether a variant for Android, Windows Phone or BlackBerry is in the works in addition to the iOS version.