8 ms·

New Official Facebook Poke iOS Application

67 points by remi 14y ago

0x0 14y ago
How are they implementing the screenshot detection on iOS? I searched and found some stack overflow posts, but they all seem stumped (especially for iOS 6) http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13484516/ios-detection-of-screenshot http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13484516/ios-detection-of... http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2121970/notification-of-or-detecting-screenshot-being-taken/2122117#2122117 http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2121970/notification-of-o...
- namank 14y ago
  Elaborate please...screenshot detection?
  - 0x0 14y ago
    Haven't had the time to play much with this app, but if it's anything like Snapchat, the idea is to send photos that self-destruct after 5-10 seconds. Since there's absolutely no (known) way to actually prevent taking screenshots on iOS, the next best thing they implemented is "screenshot detection", which notifies the sender that the recipient did take a screenshot.
    - MartinCron 14y ago
      Nor is there a way to keep people from taking a picture of an iPhone screen with a secondary camera. The promise of "self-destructing" pictures seems like a disaster waiting to happen.
- Xuzz 14y ago
  I looked into how SnapChat does it, it's pretty simple: http://blog.chpwn.com/post/38491252231 http://blog.chpwn.com/post/38491252231
  - 0x0 14y ago
    Oooh, thanks for the explanation. I figured it had something to do with touches dropping off (the other posts mentioned it, and it's kind of obvious since they ask you to long press to view). But I thought the touchesCancelled would be too unreliable, with push messages, system notifications, incoming calls, or just dragging the finger out of the screen. How would you detect the lack of WillEnterBackground/DidResignActive to avoid false positives? Just set a timeout and send a "screenshot!" notification if the timeout expires without going to background?
    - Xuzz 14y ago
      Yeah, probably. Anything that gets in front of the app should call one of those two, and do so pretty immediately. A timer for a second or so later should be pretty safe.
tylermac1 14y ago
Nice rip-off of SnapChat functionality.
- k-mcgrady 14y ago
  I don't know much about SnapChat but this is very clearly a feature not a product, and a feature that Facebook's users will probably be happy to get. Trying to build a business around this one idea would be very risky.
zaidf 14y ago
Can someone explain to me the thinking behind the multiple app strategy for facebook? Personally I find it grossly inconvenient to switch apps when going from chatting with a friend to seeing their Timeline. What am I missing?
- patio11 14y ago
  You're not optimizing for a user session measured in seconds by weakly attached people-who-are-not-technologists. Facebook is. Slide open phone, one touch to open app, one touch to take picture, as few touches as possible to re-engage 2nd party "user" of app.
  - zaidf 14y ago
    One touch to open Camera app. One touch to post pic. Multiple apps to see what the pic looks like on my wall? Multiple apps to post snarky comment about pic on my friend's timeline? May be you are right that this is a use-case tech people have but from my observation, I see this pattern repeated all the time on facebook activity of non-tech friends. On more than one occasion I have elected to use WhatsApp over facebook Chat app because of the app switch. My thinking is "hey if I have to switch apps, might as well pick the better chat app of the two". If this was built into the main FB app like it used to be, I'd be less likely to use WhatsApp.
- AVTizzle 14y ago
  As I see it, two factors combine to make this to optimal strategy: 1. Limitations of Mobile UI Facebook isn't just one tool, it's dozens of tools combined. On a web interface with PC-browser sized real estate and mouse/keyboard interactions, you can pack a lot more features onto an app and not sacrifice too much in the way of usability and complexity. With mobile, you have to make sacrifices due to limited screen real estate. As you pack in more features into any single app, you start having diminishing returns due to increased complexity. 2. Desired Tool So considering the limitations, you have to ask: what function does the user desire in the moment? Consider some of the FB mobile applications: Pages Manager, Camera, Messenger. They're all quite unique from one another. On a web interface you might be afforded the luxury of building them all into the same app with a common entry point and framework. But in mobile, developing all those functions into a single app would be complex due to the 1st point, and unnecessary due to the 2nd.
namank 14y ago
And just like that, Poke Wars became a real thing!
untog 14y ago
The level to which this is a clone of Snapchat is kind of astounding. Did FB ever try to buy them, or are they trying to destroy competition before they have to pay big bucks like they did for Instagram? It's all business, so I suppose all's fair, but it hardly paints Facebook as a hub of innovation. I quit a job a few years ago once they gave me the task of basically cloning a competitor from the ground up. There's no excitement or challenge in that, and I can only imagine some very bored Facebook developers have had a less than notable Holiday season so far.
- purplelobster 14y ago
  We're talking about something as obvious as taking a photo and sending it to a friend in a streamlined fashion. If this counts as innovation here, I want no part in it. Taking a huge stream of data and figuring out what to show to who might be called an innovation, but this is not. Building the worlds best mapping service with street view is innovation, this is not.
  - untog 14y ago
    It's taking a photo, which self-destructs after a certain period. It's not mind-blowingly innovative, but the idea, time periods (max of 10 secs) and even the UI involved are exactly the same as Snapchat. If the original idea isn't innovative then Facebook's version is orders of magnitude less so.
    - creativityland 14y ago
      Agreed.
    - purplelobster 14y ago
      I rarely defend Facebook, but if you make an app that snaps a photo (which self-destructs) that you can then send to friends, then you knew what you're getting yourself into. The only two options you have is to either make an app that is difficult to copy, or make an easy app but hope for the network effect to work in your favor (i.e. any social media thing out there).
fratis 14y ago
Sure, it's like SnapChat, but isn't that always the dynamic in this industry: the Feature Qua Product (simplicity, focus) vs. Feature Qua Feature (integration)? Some folks, like those who use Buffer, for example, simply prefer tightly-focused, standalone apps while others prefer ones that do more, that integrate many features into a (sometimes) cohesive product a la HootSuite. Personal note: while I'd have been tempted to compare them to Apple or Google in the past, Facebook's turning out to be a lot more like Microsoft for the web, appropriating features or buying companies to Do Everything, even if they're not the best in each vertical.
atte 14y ago
I'm trying to understand what they're going for here. The interesting part is that the "pokes" are ephemeral. Is that special because every other type of electronic message has permanence?
gkoberger 14y ago
SnapChat cloning aside... I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I really like Facebook's decision to create multiple apps. We aren't good with thinking of apps as having multiple functionalities. Our thought process is more along the lines of "This app is for this, this app is for this, etc." Having one app means a lot of features get lost in the app, and people turn to alternative apps (like Foursquare, Batch or WeChat) for functionality. Edit: To put it another way, what if Google had one app and inside it was GMail, Search, Maps, etc? Facebook sees these as products, not features.
- AVTizzle 14y ago
  I'm just another single data-point but I agree, and I really can't think of any good reasons to disagree with the compartmentalization. Bottom line is that with minimal real-estate, at a certain point there's diminishing returns on packing in more features while sacrificing simplicity. In my opinion it's the obvious move for FB, and they're executing it well.
- NathanKP 14y ago
  I disagree. I'm don't want to use FourSquare and Instagram and Twitter when Path can do it all in one place. It takes longer to open multiple apps when it comes to social things. I don't want to have to think: I want to share a picture, what is the best app for that? Or I want to share what music I'm listening to... Which app should I go to? I just think I want to catch up on what my friends are doing, or I want to share something I'm soon with my friends... And Path is the one stop solution to my needs.
  - antr 14y ago
    Just like Yahoo has news, weather, finance, gossip, games, etc.?
- tejaswiy 14y ago
  I hope you're right. I think so too and I'm building a native check-in experience for Facebook as a side-project. It's almost ready to be launched, but I haven't managed to convince anyone I talked to that they needed a separate native app for check-ins. Lets see I guess.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
chromejs10 14y ago
Do we really need ANOTHER facebook app? At this rate I'm going to have a dedicated folder of "Facebook crap". It doesn't make life easier to have all these things separate. I understand the camera app, but not things like this app or the messenger app, especially since in the messenger app I end up getting notified of new mail there and in the original facebook app...
- supercoder 14y ago
  Ah, I was worried too but just found that it doesn't automatically force install itself on your phone. So the easy workaround here if you haven't downloaded it is to not download. If already install google around for how to delete apps.
  - chromejs10 14y ago
    That was very witty. However the point of comments is to have discussions about the posted content whether it be positive or negative. Your comment adds no value.
lttlrck 14y ago
I suppose calling it Poke is a clue for intended use. Though they could have gone for SnatchChat and forgone the ambiguity.
danso 14y ago
So has anyone read the TOS yet? Is there a guarantee that the content is deleted from their servers in a reasonable amount of time?
- creativityland 14y ago
  Given their track record, I wouldn't count on it.
- zdrtx 14y ago
  Facebook deletes poke data. http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/22/your-facebook-pokes-are-stored-for-two-days-then-their-encryption-keys-are-deleted/ http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/22/your-facebook-pokes-are-sto...
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
mildavw 14y ago
Maybe it's because my small social network (my extended family) all have iPhones, but we abandoned Facebook about a year ago in favor of iMessage. Group text, photos, and movies fly back and forth almost every day. And when we want it live, Facetime. I guess Facebook just further validated this mobile multimedia medium.
tree_of_item 14y ago
Why would you want your message to expire?
- RandallBrown 14y ago
  Beyond sexting, I don't really know. All the college aged girls I know love Snapchat. Not sure why, but I guess it's just fun.
  - simonholroyd 14y ago
    Does anyone here know whether sexting is actually a major use for SnapChat? It's often thrown around as the 'obvious' use-case for the service, but having not tried it I'm not sure if there's any curation/content flagging or banning system. If it is a popular use, does facebook really want that sort of content? Does facebook think that sexting users would trust them with their photos? If I were to send a sext, I'd certainly consider the (even faint) possibility that the pics could get up on facebook somehow...
benlower 14y ago
We're saved! This Poke app must be what averted the Mayan disaster.
- ghotli 14y ago
  I hate to be that guy, but we value a pretty high signal to noise ratio here on HN. Comments like this will likely always get you downvoted and for good reason. The guidelines at the top are worth a read from time to time.
bosky101 14y ago
features aside, it must be pretty satisfying for fb employees to know that internal ideas can become separate apps.
joewee 14y ago
Has anyone confirmed that messages, images and videos sent to friends are not actually archived on facebook? I was always under the impression that facebook archives every interaction.

67 points by remi 14y ago

0x0 14y ago

How are they implementing the screenshot detection on iOS? I searched and found some stack overflow posts, but they all seem stumped (especially for iOS 6) http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13484516/ios-detection-of-screenshot http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13484516/ios-detection-of... http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2121970/notification-of-or-detecting-screenshot-being-taken/2122117#2122117 http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2121970/notification-of-o...

namank 14y ago
Elaborate please...screenshot detection?
- 0x0 14y ago
  Haven't had the time to play much with this app, but if it's anything like Snapchat, the idea is to send photos that self-destruct after 5-10 seconds. Since there's absolutely no (known) way to actually prevent taking screenshots on iOS, the next best thing they implemented is "screenshot detection", which notifies the sender that the recipient did take a screenshot.
  - MartinCron 14y ago
    Nor is there a way to keep people from taking a picture of an iPhone screen with a secondary camera. The promise of "self-destructing" pictures seems like a disaster waiting to happen.
Xuzz 14y ago
I looked into how SnapChat does it, it's pretty simple: http://blog.chpwn.com/post/38491252231 http://blog.chpwn.com/post/38491252231
- 0x0 14y ago
  Oooh, thanks for the explanation. I figured it had something to do with touches dropping off (the other posts mentioned it, and it's kind of obvious since they ask you to long press to view). But I thought the touchesCancelled would be too unreliable, with push messages, system notifications, incoming calls, or just dragging the finger out of the screen. How would you detect the lack of WillEnterBackground/DidResignActive to avoid false positives? Just set a timeout and send a "screenshot!" notification if the timeout expires without going to background?
  - Xuzz 14y ago
    Yeah, probably. Anything that gets in front of the app should call one of those two, and do so pretty immediately. A timer for a second or so later should be pretty safe.

tylermac1 14y ago

Nice rip-off of SnapChat functionality.

k-mcgrady 14y ago
I don't know much about SnapChat but this is very clearly a feature not a product, and a feature that Facebook's users will probably be happy to get. Trying to build a business around this one idea would be very risky.

zaidf 14y ago

Can someone explain to me the thinking behind the multiple app strategy for facebook? Personally I find it grossly inconvenient to switch apps when going from chatting with a friend to seeing their Timeline. What am I missing?

patio11 14y ago
You're not optimizing for a user session measured in seconds by weakly attached people-who-are-not-technologists. Facebook is. Slide open phone, one touch to open app, one touch to take picture, as few touches as possible to re-engage 2nd party "user" of app.
- zaidf 14y ago
  One touch to open Camera app. One touch to post pic. Multiple apps to see what the pic looks like on my wall? Multiple apps to post snarky comment about pic on my friend's timeline? May be you are right that this is a use-case tech people have but from my observation, I see this pattern repeated all the time on facebook activity of non-tech friends. On more than one occasion I have elected to use WhatsApp over facebook Chat app because of the app switch. My thinking is "hey if I have to switch apps, might as well pick the better chat app of the two". If this was built into the main FB app like it used to be, I'd be less likely to use WhatsApp.
AVTizzle 14y ago
As I see it, two factors combine to make this to optimal strategy: 1. Limitations of Mobile UI Facebook isn't just one tool, it's dozens of tools combined. On a web interface with PC-browser sized real estate and mouse/keyboard interactions, you can pack a lot more features onto an app and not sacrifice too much in the way of usability and complexity. With mobile, you have to make sacrifices due to limited screen real estate. As you pack in more features into any single app, you start having diminishing returns due to increased complexity. 2. Desired Tool So considering the limitations, you have to ask: what function does the user desire in the moment? Consider some of the FB mobile applications: Pages Manager, Camera, Messenger. They're all quite unique from one another. On a web interface you might be afforded the luxury of building them all into the same app with a common entry point and framework. But in mobile, developing all those functions into a single app would be complex due to the 1st point, and unnecessary due to the 2nd.

namank 14y ago

And just like that, Poke Wars became a real thing!

untog 14y ago

The level to which this is a clone of Snapchat is kind of astounding. Did FB ever try to buy them, or are they trying to destroy competition before they have to pay big bucks like they did for Instagram? It's all business, so I suppose all's fair, but it hardly paints Facebook as a hub of innovation. I quit a job a few years ago once they gave me the task of basically cloning a competitor from the ground up. There's no excitement or challenge in that, and I can only imagine some very bored Facebook developers have had a less than notable Holiday season so far.

purplelobster 14y ago
We're talking about something as obvious as taking a photo and sending it to a friend in a streamlined fashion. If this counts as innovation here, I want no part in it. Taking a huge stream of data and figuring out what to show to who might be called an innovation, but this is not. Building the worlds best mapping service with street view is innovation, this is not.
- untog 14y ago
  It's taking a photo, which self-destructs after a certain period. It's not mind-blowingly innovative, but the idea, time periods (max of 10 secs) and even the UI involved are exactly the same as Snapchat. If the original idea isn't innovative then Facebook's version is orders of magnitude less so.
  - creativityland 14y ago
    Agreed.
  - purplelobster 14y ago
    I rarely defend Facebook, but if you make an app that snaps a photo (which self-destructs) that you can then send to friends, then you knew what you're getting yourself into. The only two options you have is to either make an app that is difficult to copy, or make an easy app but hope for the network effect to work in your favor (i.e. any social media thing out there).

fratis 14y ago

Sure, it's like SnapChat, but isn't that always the dynamic in this industry: the Feature Qua Product (simplicity, focus) vs. Feature Qua Feature (integration)? Some folks, like those who use Buffer, for example, simply prefer tightly-focused, standalone apps while others prefer ones that do more, that integrate many features into a (sometimes) cohesive product a la HootSuite. Personal note: while I'd have been tempted to compare them to Apple or Google in the past, Facebook's turning out to be a lot more like Microsoft for the web, appropriating features or buying companies to Do Everything, even if they're not the best in each vertical.

atte 14y ago

I'm trying to understand what they're going for here. The interesting part is that the "pokes" are ephemeral. Is that special because every other type of electronic message has permanence?

gkoberger 14y ago

SnapChat cloning aside... I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I really like Facebook's decision to create multiple apps. We aren't good with thinking of apps as having multiple functionalities. Our thought process is more along the lines of "This app is for this, this app is for this, etc." Having one app means a lot of features get lost in the app, and people turn to alternative apps (like Foursquare, Batch or WeChat) for functionality. Edit: To put it another way, what if Google had one app and inside it was GMail, Search, Maps, etc? Facebook sees these as products, not features.

AVTizzle 14y ago
I'm just another single data-point but I agree, and I really can't think of any good reasons to disagree with the compartmentalization. Bottom line is that with minimal real-estate, at a certain point there's diminishing returns on packing in more features while sacrificing simplicity. In my opinion it's the obvious move for FB, and they're executing it well.
NathanKP 14y ago
I disagree. I'm don't want to use FourSquare and Instagram and Twitter when Path can do it all in one place. It takes longer to open multiple apps when it comes to social things. I don't want to have to think: I want to share a picture, what is the best app for that? Or I want to share what music I'm listening to... Which app should I go to? I just think I want to catch up on what my friends are doing, or I want to share something I'm soon with my friends... And Path is the one stop solution to my needs.
- antr 14y ago
  Just like Yahoo has news, weather, finance, gossip, games, etc.?
tejaswiy 14y ago
I hope you're right. I think so too and I'm building a native check-in experience for Facebook as a side-project. It's almost ready to be launched, but I haven't managed to convince anyone I talked to that they needed a separate native app for check-ins. Lets see I guess.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

chromejs10 14y ago

Do we really need ANOTHER facebook app? At this rate I'm going to have a dedicated folder of "Facebook crap". It doesn't make life easier to have all these things separate. I understand the camera app, but not things like this app or the messenger app, especially since in the messenger app I end up getting notified of new mail there and in the original facebook app...

supercoder 14y ago
Ah, I was worried too but just found that it doesn't automatically force install itself on your phone. So the easy workaround here if you haven't downloaded it is to not download. If already install google around for how to delete apps.
- chromejs10 14y ago
  That was very witty. However the point of comments is to have discussions about the posted content whether it be positive or negative. Your comment adds no value.

lttlrck 14y ago

I suppose calling it Poke is a clue for intended use. Though they could have gone for SnatchChat and forgone the ambiguity.

danso 14y ago

So has anyone read the TOS yet? Is there a guarantee that the content is deleted from their servers in a reasonable amount of time?

creativityland 14y ago
Given their track record, I wouldn't count on it.
zdrtx 14y ago
Facebook deletes poke data. http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/22/your-facebook-pokes-are-stored-for-two-days-then-their-encryption-keys-are-deleted/ http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/22/your-facebook-pokes-are-sto...

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

mildavw 14y ago

Maybe it's because my small social network (my extended family) all have iPhones, but we abandoned Facebook about a year ago in favor of iMessage. Group text, photos, and movies fly back and forth almost every day. And when we want it live, Facetime. I guess Facebook just further validated this mobile multimedia medium.

tree_of_item 14y ago

Why would you want your message to expire?

RandallBrown 14y ago
Beyond sexting, I don't really know. All the college aged girls I know love Snapchat. Not sure why, but I guess it's just fun.
- simonholroyd 14y ago
  Does anyone here know whether sexting is actually a major use for SnapChat? It's often thrown around as the 'obvious' use-case for the service, but having not tried it I'm not sure if there's any curation/content flagging or banning system. If it is a popular use, does facebook really want that sort of content? Does facebook think that sexting users would trust them with their photos? If I were to send a sext, I'd certainly consider the (even faint) possibility that the pics could get up on facebook somehow...

benlower 14y ago

We're saved! This Poke app must be what averted the Mayan disaster.

ghotli 14y ago
I hate to be that guy, but we value a pretty high signal to noise ratio here on HN. Comments like this will likely always get you downvoted and for good reason. The guidelines at the top are worth a read from time to time.

bosky101 14y ago

features aside, it must be pretty satisfying for fb employees to know that internal ideas can become separate apps.

joewee 14y ago

Has anyone confirmed that messages, images and videos sent to friends are not actually archived on facebook? I was always under the impression that facebook archives every interaction.