Apple often finds methods to eliminate well-loved applications, yet this instance, another party has accomplished that task for them. App creator Nikita Bier, with a remarkable track record, unveiled his latest creation Wednesday—an application termed Explode that introduces vanishing messages and photos straight to iMessage. Perhaps it’s time to check on Snapchat and their current mood.

Explode operates with straightforwardness: it grants any holder of the app the power to convey messages and images that possess an expiration window. Once they vanish, they are permanently erased. It also doesn’t demand that both participants have the app installed to use it—solely the sender is required to do so, allowing them to decide the duration of visibility for the message or picture.

Ladies and gentlemen, I pleased to announce my latest app:

Introducing Explode
· Send disappearing texts & photos inside iMessage
· Only the sender needs the app: Drop them right into your chats
· Screenshots are blocked too

Why did we build it? Explode is a spite app. Yes, an… pic.twitter.com/mGwmoN28T8

— Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) January 14, 2025

The application is available for free download, yet there are exclusive, paid services. For an annual fee of $39.99 or a monthly cost of $7.99, users can enlist in Explode+ to get notifications for screenshots, prevent screenshots from occurring, revisit previously sent messages, and secure photo viewing post-sending to retain availability.

If this sounds remarkably similar to Snapchat along with its premium service, Snapchat+, that is entirely on purpose. Bier portrayed Explode as a “spite app,” a reaction to a negative experience he encountered with Snapchat.

“Two years back, I had a meeting with the CEO of Snapchat to deliberate acquiring my former enterprise. I transparently conveyed our rapid growth. A mere week after—during Thanksgiving—Snapchat removed our app from the SnapKit framework, swiftly obstructing our progress,” Bier mentioned on Twitter. “As Ghengis Khan reportedly stated: the utmost delight is to defeat your foes, dispossess them of their riches, and observe them steeped in sorrow.”

Bier possesses significant experience interacting with major technology players. He marketed his initial viral sensation, an anonymous polling app known as tbh, to Facebook after accruing more than two million regular users. His second noteworthy venture in the app domain, a complimentary anonymous app called Gas, was conveyed to Discord after amassing over seven million installations—and aligning with the timeline Bier provides regarding his Snapchat conflict, it’s plausible this is the app he discussed with the firm.

So, might Explode succeed in challenging Snapchat’s demographic? There’s a fair basis to remain doubtful. The transient trait of vanishing messages and snapshots is undeniably appealing for Snapchat, yet the playfulness injected into those communications keeps individuals (primarily adolescents) returning. Snapchat Streaks—a tally of how many consecutive days two users have communicated—carry notable significance among young users, as do Snapchat accolades, and the friendship tags are determined based on the frequency of user interactions.

Snapchat’s recipe for success isn’t solely the vanishing correspondence—which has been effectively mimicked by almost all applications now, such as Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and Telegram. It’s the addictive nature of social playfulness, which may not benefit the overall well-being of individuals fixated on friendship ratings, but is presumably beneficial for Snapchat’s sustainability.