Facebook released a new app in November 2016 that aimed to compete directly with Snapchat, but it was only officially available in Brazil—and still is. The app, called “Flash,” is so much like Snapchat that it’s not even the slightest bit of a stretch to call it a clone.
Even though Flash is only officially available in Brazil, you can try it right now on any Android device in any country. All you have to do is enable “Unknown sources” in Settings, then download and install the following APK.
Once you’ve done that, just sign in with your Facebook account, then you’ll be ready to try it out. If you’ve ever used Snapchat, you’ll feel right at home here—there’s a chat screen on the left, a “Your Story” screen on the right, and a camera interface in the middle.
Really, the only difference between Flash and Snapchat are the filters, which are so outlandishly terrible that they’re actually pretty funny. In one, a flock of birds stands on your head and picks at your hair, while Flash’s face-tracking algorithm applies bird crap to your face in real time. Others show a marked Brazilian flair, with Carnival-style whimsy and colors.
Facebook’s making absolutely no effort to hide its motive here: They’re coming for Snapchat. There’s no news yet on an official worldwide rollout for Flash, but once you’ve got the APK installed, there aren’t any restrictions on using the app.
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