Nikita Bier Develops Explode App for Disappearing iMessage Photos
Nikita Bier, known for his innovative apps like tbh and Gas, has unveiled a new venture named Explode. This app offers a unique service within Apple's Messages app, allowing users to send text and image messages that disappear after being viewed once. The essential feature of Explode is its ability to prevent recipients from taking screenshots of the messages.
Features and Subscription
The Explode app serves as an extension for iMessage, enabling contacts to view messages only once before they self-destruct. Notably, only the sender needs to have the Explode app installed for it to function. The app can be downloaded for free, but there is also a premium version, Explode+. For $39.99 annually or $7.99 monthly, users can benefit from features such as screenshot alerts, complete screenshot blocking, photo replays, and photo locking after sending.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am 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." — Nikita Bier via X
Motivation Behind Explode
Bier's introduction of Explode is partly in response to his past experiences with Snapchat. Following discussions about Snap acquiring Gas, Snapchat removed Gas from its SnapKit platform, citing policy violations. Bier commented on X that Gas was unjustly removed as it neither relied on Snap’s social graph nor intended to replicate Snapchat’s functionalities.
In a previous statement, Bier disclosed, "Two years ago, I met with Snapchat's CEO to discuss acquiring my previous company. I openly shared how fast we were growing. Just a week later — over the Thanksgiving holiday — Snapchat kicked our app off the SnapKit platform, abruptly halting our growth." Bier's past grievances with Snapchat further fueled his motivation to create an app like Explode.
Impact of Snap's Actions
According to Bier's comments, Snap's removal was significant given that a notable portion of Snapchat's U.S. user base had engaged with Gas content. Bier once noted, "23% of Snapchat's U.S. user base had viewed a Gas story." The sudden removal caused disruption, halting the app's growth for crucial days. Despite Snap's significant role in growing Gas, Bier assured that Gas's operations did not hinge on SnapKit's tools.
Current Availability and Future Prospects
For now, Explode is accessible in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, and Italy. Despite Discord acquiring and later shutting down Gas, Bier continues to push boundaries in app development with innovations like Explode.