Facebook shuts down the Snapchat clone you never heard of

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Lifestage iPhone
Remember Lifestage? Me neither!
Photo: Facebook

Facebook has shut down Lifestage, a Snapchat clone designed to entice teens into using it for casual photo sharing.

The Lifestage app for iOS disappeared from the App Store earlier this week, less than a year after making its debut, and the social network has confirmed it is no more.

As you would expect from a Snapchat clone, Lifestage allowed users to share photos and short videos with friends. However, it was specifically aimed at teens. Anyone over the age of 21 was blocked from using the app.

Of course, this meant Snapchat was a lot better, and Lifestage never really took off. Before it was pulled from the App Store, LifeStage hadn't been updated in months. It never made its way into the top charts on iOS.

Facebook insists, however, that it learned a lot from the app, which was created by 20-year-old Facebook employee Michael Sayman. The company says the lessons will help improve other features across Facebook.

“We originally launched Lifestage to make it easier for teens in the US to connect with others at their school by creating a video profile with content for all of things that make up their identity," a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider. "Teens continue to make up an important part of the global community on Facebook, and we've learned a lot from Lifestage. We will continue to incorporate these learnings into features in the main Facebook app.”

So long, Lifestage! We literally never knew you.

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