Facebook kills Snapchat-like Poke and Camera apps

Facebook has quietly pulled the plug on its Poke and Camera apps. The social network has confirmed to TheVerge that both apps have been withdrawn from the Apple App store. The Poke app would allow users to send photos and videos that would last for a few seconds before disappearing forever. Well, that may sound familiar. Yes, Poke was a clone of the famous Snapchat app. Poke was launched in 2012, a year after Snapchat.  Lately, Snapchat has been accused of deceiving customers as the photos apparently don’t ‘disappear forever’. Poke is said to be a extension of the popular feature that lets you secretly ‘poke’ your friends for no reason. Though Facebook doesn’t highlight the original Poke feature on the homepage, it very much exists. Check https://www.facebook.com/pokes to poke someone or get recommendations on whom to poke. On the other hand, the Camera app was a clone of the popular photo-sharing app Instagram that is now acquired by Facebook. It was fairly well regarded app that let users upload multiple photos to Facebook. Before Facebook launched the Camera app, users could upload only one photo at a time from a smartphone. It is also speculated that both apps were gaining popularity among young teens, and were even responsible for pulling them away from Facebook.