MANILA, Philippines – Facebook officially launched Slingshot, a new photo-sharing app that seeks to rival Snapchat, on Tuesday, June 17.

In an announcement posted on Slingshot’s blog, the development team called the app “an opportunity to create something new and different: a space where you can share everyday moments with lots of people at once.”

Like SnapChat, Slingshot allows users to send photos and videos to each other and have them expire once they are swiped away. Slingshot however adds one extra layer – to open a message the recipient needs to send something back first.

Once a sling has been shot back the recepient will be able to see the message, and can either reply back with a reaction or swipe the shot into oblivion.

Slingshot went online for a short while across iTunes app stores in Australia, Malaysia, and New Zealand on June 10 though it was quickly taken off.

Slingshot is currently available in the US and works on iPhones running iOS7 and Android devices running Jelly Bean and KitKat. – Rappler.com