Poke allows users to send expiring messages

Facebook today continued to expand the options available to users on its messaging platform, debuting Poke, a new iOS app that sends a message that automatically expires. The app allows users to set a duration time for a message, as well as to communicate with one or several friends at once. Users press and hold messages until they expire, and a timer at the top displays how much time is left on the message.

Users can set messages to expire after one, three, five, or 10 seconds. When the time runs out, the message disappears from the app.

The new app brings Facebook into direct competition with Snapchat, a popular messaging app that has similar capabilities. Snapchat is available on both Android and iOS.

Facebook Poke is available as a free download on the iTunes App Store. It requires at least iOS 5.1 and an iPhone 3GS or higher or iPod touch 3rd generation and up.

by MacNN Staff