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Lifestage, Facebook\u2019s newer \u201cteens-only\u201d app <\/a>designed to counteract the Snapchat threat by giving younger users a place to connect\u00a0outside\u00a0of Facebook\u2019s larger social network, has now arrived on Android.<\/a> Previously an iPhone-only application, this experimental app represents Facebook\u2019s attempt to woo the high schooler crowd, while also testing other features like video profiles, gamification elements, and more.<\/p>\n These things could make their way into Facebook\u2019s main application, even if Lifestage itself later fails.<\/p>\n Lifestage is now one of many ways Facebook has been targeting Snapchat\u2019s user base.\u00a0In particular, the company understands that Snapchat\u2019s camera-first design mechanism is one the social app\u2019s key draws.<\/p>\n To engage Facebook users in similar ways, the company acquired photo and video filtering app MSQRD, then tried out selfie filters on Facebook using that technology,<\/a> alongside\u00a0opening your camera right <\/a>on top of the News Feed.<\/p>\n It also\u00a0reached out to the developer community<\/a> with an offer of tools that would allow for third-party creation of profile filters, and it even internally tested a Snapchat clone called \u201cFacebook Stories<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n More recently, Facebook has been testing another Snapchat clone as a standalone app called Messenger Day<\/a>, and it rolled out a Snapchat-like feature in Instagram, \u201cStories,<\/a>\u201d which\u00a0has become fairly popular.<\/p>\n Lifestage, therefore, is just\u00a0one weapon in Facebook\u2019s arsenal when it comes to competing with Snapchat. And, from the look of the early numbers, at least, it may not be one that lasts.<\/p>\n The app by its nature is limited to the high school crowd primarily. Technically, it\u2019s for 21 and unders, but Facebook is hoping for viral spread through high schools in particular.<\/p>\n In Lifestage, users answer bio questions with videos, which then unlocks more questions. And when you update your profile, you get a little sunglasses-smile emoji next to your name. If you don\u2019t update, the smile turns to a frown, or even the poop emoji. This is meant to encourage regular engagement with the app.<\/p>\n In addition, users can show off what they like and dislike by adding it to their profile \u2013 a feature that caters to the ever-changing interests of younger users, who often latch on and then drop new trends more quickly than their older counterparts.<\/p>\n Launched this summer<\/a>, Lifestage has so far failed to find significant traction, however \u2013 it\u2019s not a viral hit. According to App Annie\u2019s metrics, the app has dropped to #1289 in the Social Networking category on iTunes, which hits at slow adoption. (Of course, without the Android app, its potential reach has been limited until now.)<\/p>\n It\u2019s also, of course, targeting a narrower audience than most social apps. Lifestage blocks users over a certain age, which means it would never really climb to the top of the charts, even if it became a hit. (There is also some concern that Lifestage isn\u2019t effectively blocking adults<\/a> from signing up,\u00a0which will become a larger problem as the app scales. It\u2019s not likely the go-to destination for predators right now, though, given its small footprint.)<\/p>\n Still, even if Lifestage doesn\u2019t ever find its footing as the next best teen thing<\/em>, Facebook can take what it learned here, then incorporate those elements into its other products.<\/p>\n For example, though Facebook\u2019s news-reading app Paper failed, it taught the company how to do Instant Articles. And via Lifestage, Facebook\u00a0may discover how to better improve user profiles with video \u2013 something that is not yet working on Facebook itself, where video profiles are an option, but haven\u2019t been widely adopted.<\/p>\n\n
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