• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Ed Sheeran asked Patriots owner Robert Kraft for $2 million aid donation after Macklemore was dropped from his tour for pro-Palestine comments

2

Meet Warren Buffett's son Howard, a former sheriff, war photographer, and now, Berkshire's new chairman

3

Anthropic billionaire cofounder Jack Clark studied literature, not code—and says liberal arts degrees will win in the AI age

1

Ed Sheeran asked Patriots owner Robert Kraft for $2 million aid donation after Macklemore was dropped from his tour for pro-Palestine comments

2

Meet Warren Buffett's son Howard, a former sheriff, war photographer, and now, Berkshire's new chairman

3

Anthropic billionaire cofounder Jack Clark studied literature, not code—and says liberal arts degrees will win in the AI age

Facebook’s latest innovation: Copying Snapchat

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 11, 2014, 6:34 PM ET
Photo Courtesy: Robert Galbraith / Reuters REUTERS
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

If imitation really is the most sincere form of flattery, then Snapchat must be feeling pretty great lately.

Facebook is testing a new feature that lets users set a time to make their posts disappear – anywhere from an hour to a week in the future. Sound familiar, Snapchat users?

The Next Web first reported on Wednesday that a handful of Facebook users were tweeting about the new feature, which seems to only be available in limited markets. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed with Fortune that the social media giant is “running a small pilot of a feature on Facebook for iOS that lets people schedule deletion of their posts in advance.”

Ever since Snapchat spurned Facebook’s $3 billion takeover offer last year, the ephemeral messaging service has seen its one-time suitor, along with various other tech-world rivals, try to duplicate the startup’s disappearing message model. In June, Facebook (FB) released a standalone app called Slingshot that lets users share temporary messages and photos with friends, while Yahoo (YHOO) paid an undisclosed amount for a similar app called Blink later in the summer.

Of course, it’s hard to blame these other companies for trying to recreate Snapchat’s service considering that the startup’s latest round of venture capital funding reportedly values it at about $10 billion. The app is said to have more than 100 million monthly active users and it regularly ranks atop the Apple iTunes store’s most popular free downloadable apps.

Facebook’s tests also come a week after the company updated its Slingshot app, which so far has failed to even come close to Snapchat’s level of popularity. Facebook said last week that it was tweaking Slingshot’s lone unique aspect by no longer requiring users to send a return message in order to unlock any photo or video sent to them by a friend.

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.