GOOGLE is secretly building a new social network to rival Facebook, and it’s already being tested by some users. It’s called Shoelace, and is like a cross between Facebook and Tinder – aimed at helping you find new friends and things to do. The app is currently invite-only, and is only being tested in New […]
GOOGLE is secretly building a new social network to rival Facebook, and it’s already being tested by some users.
It’s called Shoelace, and is like a cross between Facebook and Tinder – aimed at helping you find new friends and things to do.
The app is currently invite-only, and is only being tested in New York City.
It’s built around matching users based on their interests, and making it easier for people to meet up at events.
That’s in contrast to traditional social networks like Facebook, which focus on maintaining your current relationships.
The matching process is more like Tinder, where you can see quick-view profiles of other users.
However, the app isn’t designed to find you a lover – it’s all about making new mates.
But it’s likely that some users will treat the app like a dating service nonetheless.
The app offers daily hand-picked activity suggestions for users.
And every person who wants to join an online “community” has to be verified first.
Shoelace is being built by Google’s secretive Area 120 lab, which produces the firm’s more experimental projects.
But it comes just a few months after the ill-fated Google+ social network was shut down forever.
The firm blamed “low usage” and upkeep challenges, and shut down the app on April 2, 2019.
It was assumed that Google would be leaving the social media game, but Shoelace proves otherwise.
Fan reaction to the news of Shoelace was mixed on the Google Android forum on Reddit.
One hopeful user wrote: “Kids always want something new and they kind of help drive these platforms.
“So if the cool factor is there or the new factor then it might catch fire. It’s worth a shot in today’s ever-changing tech world.”
But most suspected that Google’s new service was unlikely to succeed.
“Google launches a doomed service the same day it kills another! Must be a day that ends in y,” one wrote.
Another said: “I’ve been burned too many times by Google’s evaporation-ware. Won’t even try it.”
And one even suggested that Shoelace could even become deeply sinister.
“Given my experience with these kinds of hyper local apps, I think this is just going to devolve into a lot of really creepy messages from people,” they wrote.
Google has not confirmed whether Shoelace is coming to the UK or not.
We’ve asked Google for comment and will update this story with any response.
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What do you think of Google’s new social network? Let us know in the comments!
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