Facebook shuts down Creative Labs and removes apps from iOS, Google Play stores

Facebook shuts down its Creative Labs project removing Slingshot, Rooms, and Riff from iOS and Google Play app stores.

Facebook on Monday pulled out from app stores the applications created out of its Creative Labs, which is an initiative from the company that encourages its employees to develop their own innovative and unusual software. However, CNET reported that Slingshot, Riff, and Rooms missed their marks. The social media giant also killed its Creative Labs project.

Slingshot is a disappearing photo service that competed with Snapchat, while Rooms is a chat-room group messaging service, and Riff is a video-making app that lets users create and share short videos.

The Wall Street Journal posted Facebook's statement saying, "We're continuing to embrace the spirit of creative risk-taking by continuing to allow some smaller development teams within the company to experiment with new ideas for standalone apps."

According to a Facebook spokeswoman the company had incorporated some of the features of the removed apps into other primary apps available for iOS and Android. People who have downloaded Slingshot and Riff can still use the apps. Meanwhile, Rooms will be on "read only" mode by December 23.

9 To 5 Mac reported that the social media giant had also killed app that weren't delivering as expected. One of these apps are the Facebook Camera, which is a photo sharing app that doesn't feature more than the usual camera app. Facebook also tried to develop a counterpart for Snapchat called Poke, which lets people send images and messages to friends.

Facebook will still support some of the products of Creative Labs projects, such as the news-reading app Paper, image-sharing app Moments, and celebrity chat app Groups and Mentions.

Facebook is also focused on developing innovative technology such as building artificial-intelligence, drones that sends internet connection to impoverished areas in the world, and virtual reality equipment.