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All the Features Facebook Copied From Snapchat in 2016 (recode.net)

Posted by msmash on from the steal-like-no-one-is-watching dept.

Last year, Facebook looked several times at Snapchat, a company that reportedly refused to be acquired by the social giant, for new features in Facebook Messenger, and its Instagram services. From a report on Recode: Here's the list of features Facebook launched this year that appear to be direct threats to Snapchat:
1. Facebook bought MSQRD, an app that creates silly face filters, in March.
2. It has since added the face filter technology to the main Facebook app and Messenger.
3. Facebook started testing a new Snapchat-style camera inside its main app. Messages sent using the new camera are ephemeral.
4. Facebook built a Snapchat clone app called Flash specifically for emerging markets like Brazil.
5. Instagram ripped off Snapchat's Stories feature. (It actually works pretty well.) Instagram also added ephemeral messaging.

62 comments

  1. Silly face filters need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    So does anyone who puts that stupid fucking puppy mouth and eyes on their pictures.

    1. Re: Silly face filters need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, those are awesome. It tells me who I should never associate with.

    2. Re: Silly face filters need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It sounds to me like both of you use "social media". Good to know that both of you are stupid beyond salvation.

    3. Re:Silly face filters need to die by ranton · · Score: 2

      Silly face filters need to die

      I on the other hand hope your capacity for childhood whimsy can live again someday. Nearly everything I do with my two year old daughter could be considered childish, unmanly, unproductive, etc by curmudgeons like you, but I am glad not everyone shares your bleak view on what forms of entertainment are acceptable. Watching my daughter laugh as her tongue becomes huge in the phone screen is a damn good use of my time, IMHO, and my family members asking for more snap-chats like that seem to agree.

      I also can get a good laugh at my young sister and brother in law dancing at a New Year's party with silly filters on their faces, so I don't think childish fun only applies to interactions with toddlers either.

      --
      -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
    4. Re:Silly face filters need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Now your just rubbing it in. For many of us whimsy was the first thing to go, replaced by a bitter sarcasm we mistook for humor. (you insensitive clod)

    5. Re:Silly face filters need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Don't worry he's just suffering from post-partum lobotomy syndrome, where the environmental retardation effects of 'a new family' makes everything his little darling does special and worth sharing. (some say they're just suffering from sleep deprivation) Some breeders suffer from this more than once in their lives even though there no medical reason after the first occurrence. It's just a form of repressed hysteria.

    6. Re:Silly face filters need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The whimsy was there the first couple times I saw someone use the puppy dog nose. "Ha, that's kinda cute!" But that was almost a year, and many hundreds of people, ago. It isn't cute or funny or goofy or whimsical anymore, it's old and tired and annoying. It's like all the people who posted those "planking" photos, the first few I saw got a chuckle, but a week later I was scrolling past dozens of them a day. Thank god that died off.

    7. Re:Silly face filters need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have plenty of childlike whimsy for song lyric parodies, and I gladly listen to popular teen music, while my peers call me a traitor to my generation. But I have no interest in sharing photos, and I don't need social media to find song lyrics.

    8. Re:Silly face filters need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So your totally interesting example about embracing childhood whimsy as an adult is an anecdote about a fucking two year old? For her sake, I hope your daughter isn't being homeschooled.

    9. Re:Silly face filters need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You should embrace your childhood whimsy as an adult by watching Uncle Grandpa. It's a cartoon dumb enough for kids but written for an adult audience. Adult viewers ordinarily identify with Mr Gus the grumpy dinosaur. Even the name of the title character is a stealth pun. He's everyone-in-the-world's uncle-and-grandfather, meaning Uncle Grandpa is a motherfucker in the most literal sense.

    10. Re: Silly face filters need to die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Faggots of course only suffer from suicide, mental illness, drug abuse, extinction of their genes, and AIDS.

      It's probably better to be a breeder.

  2. Ephemeral? by roninmagus · · Score: 2

    If you think anything on FB (or any other platform for that matter) is ephemeral then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

    1. Re:Ephemeral? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Basically, it is just voluntarily choosing to grant privileged social status to your friends who obsessively check social media and have photographic memory. Yay, eugenics!

    2. Re: Ephemeral? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Depends on the price, its current condition, how often it's used, and whether I can put a toll on it.

      If all four are good, I will gladly buy your bridge.

    3. Re: Ephemeral? by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      $200. It's in brooklyn. Used often, and you can do what you like with it. Paypal?

    4. Re:Ephemeral? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wait, that bridge is still there???

  3. How will they copy... by houstonbofh · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How will they copy being the place where their parents are not?

    1. Re:How will they copy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > git clone git://facebook.git pokébook -i ~/the-master-key.pem
      > cd !$
      > heroku create pokébook # And at that moment, an angel facepalmed.

    2. Re:How will they copy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      1. Make all posts private so only your intended audience will see them.
      2. Don't friend your parents.
      2a. Block your parents and your friends' parents and tell them you deleted your Facebook account.
      3. Sell all weed and ecstasy you want.
      4. Profit.

  4. Why wouldn't they? by Shimbo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's easier to pay a few developers than buy a company with a stupid valuation. Who'd have thought it? Shame for Snapchat but that's business.

    1. Re:Why wouldn't they? by pauljlucas · · Score: 2

      That didn't stop Facebook from buying Instagram for 1 billion. It's more to do with Snap not wanting to sell.

      --
      If you reply, do so only to what I explicitly wrote. If I didn't write it, don't assume or infer it.
    2. Re:Why wouldn't they? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Embrace, Extend, Extinguish

  5. Important! by DogDude · · Score: 2

    This is important! What chat app are pre-teen girls going to use for the next few months?!?! Such uncertainty! Such turmoil! How will we survive this?

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
    1. Re:Important! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      News for nerds. Stuff that matters.

    2. Re:Important! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except nerds know that snapchat didn't invent face swap but they might have been first to implement it in a chat-application. And nerds would be interested in the technological aspects rather than business aspects at least the nerds slashdot was originally aimed at.

  6. They didn't copy 3 by allo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    > Messages sent using the new camera are ephemeral.
    You think, they are ephemeral, because YOU cannot see them anymore.

  7. And snapchat 'ripped off' those before. by queazocotal · · Score: 2

    The notion that any of these ideas is particularly innovative is ridiculous.
    All of the text-based ideas applied to the video world.
    Short messages, time-based messages, messages with silly effects, ... all have been around since at least the 80s.
    The fact you applied an obvious thing to a new technology does not make you specially innovative in any way that deserves protection.

    1. Re:And snapchat 'ripped off' those before. by speedplane · · Score: 2

      The notion that any of these ideas is particularly innovative is ridiculous.

      I'd go further and say that the fact that Facebook copied these feature should surprise no one, and even further, most people should not care. It's hard to get worked up over stealing meaningless technology that makes the world dumber.

      --
      Fast Federal Court and I.T.C. updates
    2. Re:And snapchat 'ripped off' those before. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm 22. I don't remember anything from the 80s. Everything is new, and I just discovered it!

  8. And... by Arkh89 · · Score: 2

    Here's the list of fucks I give :

    1. Re:And... by Thaelon · · Score: 2

      You should because the dominant social networks are all trying to eat each others' user bases and we don't want there to be a clear winner. That's super bad for free speech.

      --

      Question everything

    2. Re:And... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about "Don't use social networks." at all. Then they will pass like the dodo bird.

  9. Ephemeral Facebook??? by hyades1 · · Score: 2

    Based on past performance, and current evidence that Facebook has been buying user data from other sources in a very aggressive effort to further "commoditize" users, who would be stupid enough to believe, "messages sent using the new camera are ephemeral"?

    Really...you'd have to be seriously daft to trust Facebook about that.

    --
    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
    1. Re:Ephemeral Facebook??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      considering facebook runs your messages and comments through filters BEFORE YOU POST should show people you are 100% correct, you've already agreed to all of this by using the service.

    2. Re:Ephemeral Facebook??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep... I remember a couple years ago after the fappening, there was the snappening, where tons of peoples' slutty Snapchat pics were downloaded out of a cache server somewhere. Snapchat pics are supposed to be "deleted" once the recipient views them, yeah right; of course they were being stored forever on the company servers and eventually got hacked. All of this crap is permanent and it should be fraud to advertise it as anything else.

    3. Re:Ephemeral Facebook??? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Really...you'd have to be seriously daft to trust Facebook about that.

      You're right. But you have to be even dafter not to apply Occam's razor to the situation. What's more likely, that they will keep a video that was shared between two parties who are expressly told that the video is ephemeral while trying to monetise it despite it having next to no value compared to the data they already get from the user's phone and actions while using facebook all the while potentially risking a huge fucking lawsuit not to mention what would happen in Germany, France and the EU for breaching data laws,

      or that they would have this feature do what it says on the box simply to keep a customer who comes back to Facebook.

      I trust Facebook on this because my tinfoil hat is only made of 2 layers and not the 700 + lead lining needed to come up with this kind of daft idea.

    4. Re:Ephemeral Facebook??? by hyades1 · · Score: 1

      No doubt Volkswagen had the same mindset with respect to Diesel engine emissions. Of course they wouldn't dare! (snicker)

      --
      I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
    5. Re:Ephemeral Facebook??? by hyades1 · · Score: 1

      Did you notice the goof who responded to my comment, taking the view that Facebook would never dare, and anybody who thinks they would must be a tinfoil hatter?

      Poor credulous fucker.

      --
      I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
    6. Re:Ephemeral Facebook??? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      There's a difference between breaking some government regulation that no one cares about, and expressly doing the one thing you claim that your service does.

    7. Re:Ephemeral Facebook??? by hyades1 · · Score: 1

      You don't seriously expect anybody to buy that argument, I hope. That "regulation nobody cares about" is going to cost Volkswagen more money world-wide than any fine in history. And yes, building Diesel automobiles that performed like gasoline autos was central to Volkswagen's business plan.

      --
      I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
    8. Re:Ephemeral Facebook??? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      You don't seriously expect anybody to buy that argument

      Nope. I'm not selling an argument. I'm just stating a fact. You're falling into the same trap of comparing one thing against another despite having very different motivations and consequences.

      That "regulation nobody cares about" is going to cost Volkswagen more money world-wide than any fine in history.

      And yet people are still happily buying Volkswagons because it wasn't the people who cared. What a company gets as a fine is irrelevant providing they don't burn through the good will of the customers.

      And yes, building Diesel automobiles that performed like gasoline autos was central to Volkswagen's business plan.

      And they still do, And they still build cars, and they still sell them to people. PEOPLE didn't care. Governments did. VWs continue to do what they said on the box: get people from a to b, everything else is secondary. On the flip side you're saying this is the same thing as something not doing exactly what something is primarily designed for and marketed to do.

      If you think these are the same thing I have a large bridge capable of carrying 4 lanes of traffic* to sell you.

      *It may only carry the weight of a single cat though.

  10. Well by DaMattster · · Score: 1

    I guess we can start calling Facebook "Facecrook" now. After all, isn't Facebook stealing our data and now other people's ideas?

    1. Re:Well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yawn...

  11. Gosh darn them! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Stop the presses, boys! A company copies popular concepts from another company in their same industry. News at 11!

    Could msmash prove how much more of a tech bigot they are? Such a crap editor.

  12. Innovation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm glad with all of the money sloshing around the valley, this is the kind of stuff that's getting headlines. Good to know that all the problems in education and healthcare are all fixed.

    1. Re: Innovation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're just jealous because your ideas aren't idiotic enough to be worth billions.

    2. Re: Innovation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's true.

  13. Snapchat is better than FB by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No matter how much stealing zuckerfuck does, he can't compete with Snapchat.

    1. Re:Snapchat is better than FB by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the same way niigger shit is the best kind of shit, even the best shit is still shit.

  14. Flash by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    An app called Flash. Great idea! It's not like there are already other things called Flash, such as drives, or software.

    1. Re:Flash by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Iomega made Zip drives while Phil Katz was still living, and nobody confused Zip files with Zip disks or Zip drives. Except maybe idiots. We had fewer idiots in the 1990s. We knew who the idiots were too, because only the idiots called things "apps" in those days.

  15. Good by hackel · · Score: 1

    The fewer proprietary, walled-garden chat networks that exist, the better. Now if Facebook would just eliminate WhatsApp, they'd be making some real progress.

    1. Re:Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And GitHub, since social media ruined GitHub. I am so sick of seeing stupid meme pics in GitHub issue trackers. Take the social people and wall them up in Facebook where they all belong.

    2. Re:Good by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      The fewer proprietary, walled-garden chat networks that exist, the better

      What I think you meant to say is "the fewer people using proprietary, walled-garden chat networks." What happens is that, if FB steals SC's users, the total number of users remains constant, and now there are fewer networks. As that number trends to 0, they don't become less popular, they achieve monopoly status. So, that's less innovation, more dicking over all customers, and crucially for a communications platform, the ability to censor users.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
  16. We are all different ! - I'm not! by DrYak · · Score: 1

    Brian: Look, you've got it all wrong! You don't need to follow me. You don't need to follow anybody! You've got to think for yourselves! You're all individuals!
    Crowd: [in unison] Yes! We're all individuals!
    Brian: You're all different!
    Crowd: [in unison] Yes, we are all different!
    Man in crowd: I'm not...
    Crowd: Shhh!

    Yup, it's a complete lack of originality.

    Firing up GIMP (or Photoshop or whatever) to quickly make an original edit based on an idea that you just had (no matter if the result is a bit goofy) : that's funny, creative and something that *needs* to be encouraged in kids.

    Snapchat making an automatic filter,
    and thousands of people posting millions of the exact same silly face using the exact same automatic filter,
    that's a complete lack of originality.
    It's not "childish", its boring. And most people are fed up with it.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
    1. Re:We are all different ! - I'm not! by mwvdlee · · Score: 1

      You're quoting the same "Life of Brian" quote that everybody who complains about other peoples' lack of originality use.

      --
      Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
  17. Facerecognition : 10 years ago vs. now by DrYak · · Score: 1

    Except nerds know that snapchat {...} implement it in a chat-application. And nerds would be interested in the technological aspects {...} at least the nerds slashdot was originally aimed at.

    10 years ago, some /.er might have been interested in automatic matching a "feature mesh" over a photo with some OpenCV powered face recognition software.
    (So that any face edit meme that gets suddenly popular on something awful can quickly be implemented with a short script and rolled to snapchat end users with minimal originallity).

    Nowadays, the interests of most /.er is in how *NOT* to have their face detected by the apps.

    Common where have you been hidden during the last 10 Chaos Computing Club Congresses ???

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
    1. Re:Facerecognition : 10 years ago vs. now by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Nowadays, the interests of most /.er is in how *NOT* to have their face detected by the apps.

      It's just a matter of time before none of that shit works any more. There are no technical solutions to social problems, at least, not ones that last. If you want a better world, you're going to have to go forth and make it the hard way. Not with technology, but with actual involvement.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  18. And nothing of value was gained ... by johnlcallaway · · Score: 1

    This is what happens when immature people are given any responsibility without oversight by adults. The same type of people that name servers after Star Wars/Lord of the Rings/Star Trek people/places/things and later hopefully learn how moronic they sound explaining things to the adults that provide their funding/paychecks and grow out of it.

    --
    I rarely read replies, it's my opinion and if you thought about your opinion a little more, I'm OK with that.
  19. Social problems vs. OpenCV by DrYak · · Score: 1

    Yes, I fully understand that the problem faced when trying to save privacy are complex social ones.

    I'm just pointing that, unlike what the above poster is saying, even from technical point of view, Snapchat's Silly Face are idiotic and un-interesting.

    "Finding faces" used to by a technically interesting challenge 10 years ago.
    (And the first real-time camera-mapped avatars invented in the late 90s / early 2000s were *where* the new technological development was happening).
    (Snapchat's Silly Faces isn't anything new or technically interesting. It's just the same kind of technology like 10-20 years ago, except that, thanks to a lot of Moore's law - it doesn't fit in a whole datacenter, like Facebook's creepy face recognition at its beginning - nor in a TV studio's bit workstation, as real-time avatar did - but fits inside the smartphone in your pocket. And now with the processing power to run image filters at those coordinates, rather than simple 3D mesh avatars)

    "NOT Finding Faces" is what is currently technically interesting for geeks.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
  20. Woosh! by DrYak · · Score: 1

    You're quoting the same "Life of Brian" quote that everybody who complains about other peoples' lack of originality use.

    I think the word you're looking for is "Meta".

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
    1. Re:Woosh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't get to pull of a temper tantrum and then say "whoosh" in a desperate bit to safe your face after somebody points out your hypocracy.