Facebook has confirmed its internal Creative Labs initiative, responsible for a host of the firm’s less illustrious standalone apps, has been shut down.
Creations such as the messaging app Slingshot, built around the time Facebook failed in its bid to buy Snapchat, have been shut down and removed from the iOS and Android app stores.
The Rooms app, designed to improve the group messaging experience, has also closed down, as well as Riff, the barely populated app designed to encourage the sharing of short videos.
A Facebook spokesperson said “Since their launches, we’ve incorporated elements of Slingshot, Riff and Rooms into the Facebook for iOS and Android apps.”
Moments, a standalone app designed to make it easier for Facebook users to share photo albums with each other, remains available at this time
The company says it will continue creating standalone apps to complement the main app as well as Messenger, but the Creative Labs branding is dead.
Just last month, it made its Notify breaking news app available for iOS users in the United States. Notably, this wasn’t released under the Creative Labs banner.
Related: What is Facebook Notify? The new face of notifications explained
Will you miss any of the apps being shuttered by Facebook today? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
