Facebook shutters three low-used apps

Facebook has announced it is shutting down three apps, two of which it acquired from external companies, due to low usage. Hello, Moves and Tbh will all cease to operate, and user data from all three will be deleted within 90 days.

Hello was launched back in 2015 for people using Android in Brazil, the US and Nigeria. It enabled people to combine information from Facebook with contact information on their phone. Facebook has since integrated similar functionality into many of its core apps.

Moves was a fitness app acquired by Facebook in 2014 that records the users daily activity, including walking, cycling and running. Both the Moves app and the associated API will be depreciated on 31 July.

Tbh, based on the acronym to be honest, was a positivity-focused polling app that was briefly popular with teenage users. Acquired by Facebook in 2017, the anonymous app enabled users to answer complimentary multiple-choice questions about friends, with the winner then receiving a message. The acquisition is thought to have cost Facebook under $100m (£75.8m) at the time.

“We regularly review our apps to assess which ones people value most,” said a Facebook spokesperson. “Sometimes this means closing an app and its accompanying APIs.

“We know some people are still using these apps and will be disappointed – and wed like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support. But we need to prioritise our work so we dont spread ourselves too thin. And its only by trial and error that well create great social experiences for people.”