Facebook has added ephemeral messaging to its "to-do" list, and France is the first to test it.
A disappearing message option in the Messenger app is available to iOS and Android users in France, giving them the option to have their private messages self-destruct an hour after being in the conversation log.
This move takes a shot at Snapchat, which is Facebook's biggest competitor when it comes to messaging, a report says.
"Starting today, we're conducting a small test in France of a feature that allows people to send messages that disappear an hour after they're sent," Facebook shared in an interview. "Disappearing messages gives people another fun option to choose from when they communicate on Messenger,"
The feature can be turned on or off by anyone in the conversation, the message then disappears an hour after it is sent.
Though ephemeral messaging may soon be available to other countries over time, Facebook says that there are no concrete plans or pending schedules for such.
The go-to app for ephemeral messaging, Snapchat, is currently courting cable channel brands, such as Comedy Central to bring the program to the app's Discover tab. Pretty soon, this messaging platform could be home to bite-sized programming. Deals for behind-the-scenes shots are also underway with Hollywood studios - such as the recent James Bond film, "Spectre."
If this feature pushes through for Facebook users worldwide, it is sure to put the company head to head against Snapchat. This wouldn't be too much of a surprise, though, as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg offered Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel $3 billion to buy out Snapchat. Spiegel turned down the offer in the fall of 2013. Reasonably so, since Snapchat has a $16 billion valuation, $1.2 billion in funding and 100 million daily users. However, ephemeral messaging would still be at the core of the app.
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