Facebook had a decision to make. Should it buy Snapchat and overpay for it, leaving the company open to harebrained monetization schemes similar to what Instagram tried this past week? No, instead Facebook built its own disposable chat app that it calls Poke. As we've already explained, Poke allows you to send a message that will expire in 1,3,5 or 10 seconds after being opened. By requiring a finger on the screen at all times, screenshots are nearly impossible to take. If the Mission Impossible team had Poke, messages wouldn't have had to self-destruct. Snapchat, by the way, is resting at number 9 (number 9, number 9).
The news here is that Facebook's new app has (heaven help us!) poked its way to the top of the free app charts for the Apple iPhone at the App Store, knocking the previous inhabitant of the spot down to number two. And which app was that? The new Google Maps for the Apple iPhone was the app that was bumped. But it couldn't remain on top forever, and after all, it did capture the attention of most Apple iPhone users who have been waiting for a reliable way to get around in Australia without ending up in the Outback.
Office Max's ElfYourself, which puts a photo of you or your friends' heads on an elfish body is number three while multiplayer game Fun Run is number four. Rounding out the top five is Google's YouTube app which had its day at the top of the charts. The second half of the top ten free apps is led by Disney. The House of Mouse has managed to land two free games (Where's My Vacation and Nemo's Reef) in the 6 through 10 slots.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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