Apple may enter the social media wars with a Snapchat lookalike

It seems everyone is following Snapchat these days: first Instagram, then Facebook, and now Apple.

A report from Bloomberg suggests Apple is working on a video sharing app called Snapple that that allows users to record video and apply filters and drawings, designed by the teams behind Final Cut Pro and iMovie. The videos can then be shared with your contacts directly through iOS or through other social networks like Twitter (although Facebook is curiously omitted from the report).

That sounds like Snapchat at first glance, but then “an app that records videos with filters” isn’t exactly very specific description. Still, it’s a sign Apple sees some need to stake a claim in social media.

The app is being designed to be usable with one hand, letting you shoot,edit and upload in “less than one minute,” according to Bloomberg’s sources. A prototype version of the app shot in a square aspect ratio, although that might not be conclusive.

It’s interesting to see Apple deviate from iMessage as its primary platform for communication. The app is said to be standalone and downloadable via the App Store, but there’s still a chance Apple might build it into the existing camera application.

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If Apple seriously wants to compete with Snaphat though, it’ll have to release an Android version too. There’s no word on that, but it wouldn’t be the most outlandish concept after Apple Music.

Don’t hold your breath though; Apple is reportedly gunning for a vague 2017 launch, and there’s always a chance it might never see the light of day.