It is rather well known that Facebook owns some of the most downloaded apps. Now, the social media company is reportedly planning to add its name to the apps it owns.
‘From Facebook’
Is Facebook planning to rebrand WhatsApp and Instagram? Facebook just confirmed that it is changing the apps’ names from WhatsApp and Instagram to “WhatsApp from Facebook” and “Instagram from Facebook,” stamping their parent company’s name front and center.
The name change was confirmed by Facebook spokesperson Bertie Thomson, saying that the company wants to be clearer about which products and services are a part of Facebook.
Instagram And WhatsApp On Facebook
The move is rather controversial, especially considering that Facebook has been facing various issues and controversies in recent years. But after years of giving WhatsApp and Instagram some degree of autonomy, Facebook now appears to be making an effort to gain centralized control over the apps. In fact, employees of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus were recently made to switch to @fb.com email addresses.
Unfortunately, this has been causing some issues among employees of the different apps, so much so that the founders of WhatsApp and Instagram have already left, reportedly due to tensions with Mark Zuckerberg.
Most Downloaded Apps
As of July 10, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp are four of the five most downloaded apps on iOS and Android.
Now, Facebook is actually facing an antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, partly to see whether Facebook’s acquisitions of other apps should be considered anti competition. In this matter, it is possible that the integration of WhatsApp and Instagram into Facebook may be the company’s way of proving otherwise.
Only time will tell whether this rebranding to integrate with Facebook more closely will prove beneficial to Instagram and WhatsApp when Facebook has been facing issue after issue and dwindling in popularity.
