Facebook removes Slingshot and other apps from App Store

Slingshot

Facebook may be the biggest social networking service in the world, but its many attempts to take over people's smartphones with various services, such as Facebook Home, have all failed. Facebook's latest attempt at smartphone domination included Creative Labs -- a company initiative that encouraged Facebook employees to design mobile applications for smart devices. On Monday, Facebook quietly pulled the plug on Creative Labs and three of its apps, according to CNET.

Facebook's failed Snapchat clone Slingshot, its video app Riff and its group sharing app Rooms have all been pulled from the App Store. All three apps have officially joined Facebook's growing list of discarded apps, such as its first Snapchat competitor Poke and Facebook Camera.

A Facebook spokeswoman confirmed with CNET that the apps have been officially discontinued while noting the company has "incorporated elements of Slingshot, Riff and Rooms into the Facebook for iOS and Android apps."

The main Facebook app and Facebook Messenger are still available on the App Store. Facebook forced its users to download its Messenger app in 2014 by removing the feature to send other users private messages from the main app. This didn't sit well with a lot of users at first, but most have finally accepted using the separate Messenger app, or have moved on to using the mobile version of Facebook's website to send messages from their iOS devices.