Instagram today soft-launched its new Snapchat competitor Bolt in Singapore, South Africa, and New Zealand. First hinted at last week, Bolt is a one tap photo and video messaging app that allows users to send ephemeral images to friends, much like Snapchat.

As described by The Verge, Bolt is a "carbon copy" of Taptalk, another ephemeral messaging app. Users tap on a friend's profile photo to send a photo, or use a long tap to send a video. As with Taptalk, Bolt focuses on sharing with only a few friends -- users can only communicate with one person at a time, while in Snapchat mass snaps can be sent out.

instagrambolt
Though designed by Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, Bolt is largely a standalone app. It does not require a Facebook log-in, instead letting users add contacts via phone number. As with Snapchat, users can caption images using a text editor.

According to an Instagram spokesperson, Bolt will be expanded to other regions in the near future after being tested in Singapore, New Zealand, and South Africa, three countries chosen for their geographical diversity and tight-knit communities.

Bolt is actually the second Snapchat competitor to launch this year under Facebook's umbrella. In June, the company launched Slingshot, a Snapchat clone with a twist -- after receiving a photo, users must send an image or video in return before being able to view content.

Users in New Zealand, South Africa, and Singapore can download Bolt from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

stevers Avatar
120 months ago
Not the company i would trust with private anything.

How many people will be astonished when Facebook starts displaying relevant Valtrex ads?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xplora Avatar
120 months ago
Correction, not available in New Zealand, either it has been pulled, or there is something wrong with the NZ claim.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacGeek1987 Avatar
120 months ago
Why does everyone feel the need to compete with Snapchat. It's the gold standard in instant private picture/video messaging and that just isn't changing anytime soon!

Perhaps not, but in the end the costumers will benefit from the competition.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lincolntran Avatar
120 months ago
Talk about reinventing the wheel!!!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dekema2 Avatar
120 months ago
Why does everyone feel the need to compete with Snapchat. It's the gold standard in instant private picture/video messaging and that just isn't changing anytime soon!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eddy Munn Avatar
120 months ago
I've just stumbled upon http://bolt.instagram.com/, just a random URL guess.
It is a landing page with not much in it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Details: Action Button, USB-C Port, Face ID, and More

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:34 pm PDT by
Significant changes are expected to arrive with Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE, in terms of both design and hardware, MacRumors has learned. The iPhone SE 4, known internally under the codename Ghost, is expected to receive a new design derived almost entirely from the base model iPhone 14. According to our sources, the iPhone SE 4 will use a modified version of the iPhone 14 chassis...
Multi Display CarPlay 1

All-New Apple CarPlay Launching Later This Year With These 5 New Features

Friday September 29, 2023 11:29 am PDT by
At WWDC 2022 last year, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, personalization options, and more. Apple said the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience would be announced in late 2023, but it has still not shared any additional...
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.1 Beta 1

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:57 pm PDT by
Just a week after releasing iOS 17, Apple has seeded the first beta of iOS 17.1 to developers. iOS 17.1 adds some features that Apple promised were coming to iOS 17 in the future, plus it refines and improves some existing features. This guide covers everything new in the first iOS 17.1 beta. Apple Music Favorites You can favorite songs, albums, playlists, and artists in the iOS 17.1...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Concerns Highlighted in Two More Reports

Thursday September 28, 2023 6:25 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max overheating concerns continue to make headlines this week, with the topic highlighted by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. Both of the reports document anecdotal complaints from customers, and outline potential causes, but it's unclear how many devices are actually affected. Bloomberg said the overheating could be caused or compounded by the iPhone's setup...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

Apple to Address iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issue With iOS 17 Update

Saturday September 30, 2023 9:28 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an iOS 17 update to address a bug that may contribute to the reported iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating issue, according to a statement the company shared today with MacRumors and Forbes reporter David Phelan. Apple also says some recent updates to third-party apps have overloaded the system and contributed to the overheating issue. The report notes that...
iPhone 15 USB C Port Keynote

Some USB-C Power Banks Fail to Work With iPhone 15

Thursday September 28, 2023 2:06 pm PDT by
Apple added a USB-C port to the iPhone 15 lineup this year, allowing it to work with USB-C cables, USB-C power banks, and more. It turns out that some USB-C battery packs are not working properly with Apple's iPhone 15, resulting in charging issues. As highlighted on Reddit and the MacRumors forums, not all existing USB-C power banks can be used with the iPhone 15 models, perhaps due to the...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 for All iPhones and iPads

Tuesday September 26, 2023 12:47 pm PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates, with the software coming five days after the releases of iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1. Today's iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates arrive as build 21A351 and can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Note that iOS 17.0.2 was previously made available for iPhone...