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

Lifestage, the Facebook App You Didn’t Know Existed, Has Met Its End

By
Natasha Bach
Natasha Bach
and
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Natasha Bach
Natasha Bach
and
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 9, 2017, 4:44 AM ET
#CDUdigital Conference In Berlin
Adam Berry — Getty Images

The app no one knew about it is no more.

Lifestage, an app launched less than a year ago by Facebook, was quietly discontinued last week—but no one noticed until Tuesday. The app was intended to serve as an alternative to Snapchat, but exclusively for teenagers, allowing them to take selfes and videos and share them with their classmates.

Created by product designer Michael Sayman while still a teenager himself, Lifestage only allowed young people under the age of 21 to sign up. The limitations on its membership were intended to increase the privacy of its users, but content was public and there was no way to enforce the age rule.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

While the app had never garnered much of a following, it wasn’t until Business Insider reported its closure that others caught on. Luckily for Facebook, the giant does not need its own Snapchat anymore. With 250 million daily users, Instagram and its Stories feature has now surpassed Snapchat’s 166 million. Now Facebook has an effective competitor under its belt—and one that has amassed a slightly larger following than Lifestage.

It’s the second bit of pruning in the space of a few days for Facebook, which has also announced its intention to ax the standalone Facebook Groups app that has been around since 2014.

The company said in a post that it was rather focusing on improving the experience for groups within Facebook’s main app. The app will cease working on 1 September, although groups created within the app will continue to be available in the main Facebook app.

About the Authors
By Natasha Bach
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • 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
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 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.