Social media giant Facebook (NASDAQ:$FB) just pulled the plug on Lifestage, which was its teens-only app. Lifestage was one of Facebook’s more recent attempts to get Snapchat-obsessed teens to use their services instead, and it was only launched a year ago. Essentially, the app allowed teenagers to connect with one another by creating a video profile.
The app was created by Facebook employee, Michael Sayman when he himself was just a teenager. Sayman believed the app could have an influence on Generation Z, which is the primary upcoming market for advertisers and publishers.
During the app’s launch, Facebook was bombarded with questions as to the necessity of an additional app when it’s platform and messaging app is already so popular. In response, Sayman said, “Lifestage looks back at the days of Facebook from 2004 and explores what can be done if we went back and turned the crank all the way forward to 2016 with video-first.”
However, the app did not gain much popularity compared to other social networking apps like Whatsapp, Snapchat, and Instagram. In fact, Lifestage was pulled from the App Store on August 4th and it took several days before anyone actually noticed it was gone, which gives an indication as to the state of things.
Perhaps one of the main reasons as to why Lifestage never took off was that the app suffered from “confusing” user interface and limited privacy controls. Plus, in a market where apps are always updating to stay in the now, Lifestage had not been updated since October of last year.
Despite the unfortunate pull of the app, Facebook said they “learned a lot from Lifestage” and plans to use these lessons for future endeavors.
Featured Image: twitter
