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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,194
30,135



Facebook today announced the release of a new anonymous sharing app called Rooms, which will allow users to create an anonymous invite-only chat room based around any theme.

Rooms is a standalone app that is not integrated with Facebook and does not require a Facebook login. No personally identifiable information is required within chat rooms and users are identified by nicknames. A user can join a chat room via a QR code that can be shared online, offline, privately, or publicly. While Rooms does not monitor user location, it does store messages on Facebook's servers.

rooms.jpg
Rooms will be using the same community standards used by Facebook, so content flagged for bullying, threats, spam, and more can be deleted by Facebook. The site can also ban members or disable entire chat rooms, and each Room moderator has the power to ban users who join.

Chat rooms, which can be created on any topic, are also customizable with different colors, emojis, and more. According to Facebook Product Manager Josh Miller, who spoke to Re/code, Rooms is not designed to emulate anonymous sharing apps like Secret or Whisper, instead aiming to provide people with a place to chat with others who "care about the same stuff you do."
Rooms lets you create places for the things you're passionate about. Pick a topic, customize the look and feel, be whoever you want to be and share with others. It's perfect for the things you love and interests that make you unique.

- Pick a topic: Create a home for people who are as into the topic as you are.
- Customize the look and feel: Pick a color, choose an emoji for your like button, and more!
- Be whoever you want to be: Choose nicknames for yourself, real or made up.
- Share with others: Invite other people so you can share photos, videos, and notes with them.
Rooms was created by Facebook's Creative Labs branch, which has also created Paper and Slingshot. While news reader Paper has enjoyed success in the App Store, video and photo messaging app Slingshot has not been as popular.

Rooms is an iPhone-only app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Facebook Announces Anonymous Chat App 'Rooms'
 

webworks415

macrumors 6502
Dec 20, 2008
282
12
I have been trying from my iPhone and it still says "The item you tried to buy is no longer available"
 

vagos

macrumors 6502
Oct 19, 2014
269
1,637
We already had a classmates reunion a few years ago. No use for this app.
 

webworks415

macrumors 6502
Dec 20, 2008
282
12
We already had a classmates reunion a few years ago. No use for this app.

Its not at all linked to facebook and doesnt import your FB friends. Its a standalone app that is 'anonymous'. I actually like the concept of this....I grew up in the chat room/message board era. Now if I could just download the damn thing..
 

iMerik

macrumors 6502a
May 3, 2011
666
522
Upper Midwest
Apple killed off UDID tracking in apps. Are there other ways app makers can uniquely identify your iPhone and de-anonymize you?
 

macduke

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,100
19,598
I trust facebook about as far as I can throw Zuckerberg.

He's fairly scrawny. I reckon I could get some distance. At least a lot more distance than I trust them.

--

So let me get this straight: Facebook just released a chat room app in 2014? Interesting. I feel like chat rooms have been unpopular long enough that this will seem new to the kids. Or perhaps ironic to the hipsters.
 

Analog Kid

macrumors G3
Mar 4, 2003
8,785
11,167
Still trying to get my head around "anonymous" and "invite only". Does the room mod know who the people are that are members but unable to tie a post to a person, or does this QR thing mean that membership is limited to only those people with email?
 

ProVideo

macrumors 6502
Jun 28, 2011
497
688
I hope it's similar to the old AOL chatrooms. I actually miss those things.

warez, macwarez, aohell, and pron were a few rooms I remember visiting at 14. It was the Wild West back then and AOL turned a blind eye to almost anything as long as they got paid by the hour.
 
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