Facebook Introduces Stories on the Heels of Snapchat IPO

Facebook has grown to the point where virtually every smartphone user on the planet has the app on their phone — and those who don’t almost certainly use it at home. That popularity has come at a price for the company’s app developers, though, as the original use cases that brought users to the platform […]

SNAP’s IPO Has an Odd Footnote: The ‘Camera Company’ Clause

Snapchat’s IPO was one of the most anticipated tech events of the year. So you can bet that when $SNAP went live this Thursday, app developers were watching. Would it soar or sink? Will traders benefit, or only underwriters? And why is the social media titan listed as, of all things, a “camera company?” You […]

SNAP, Spectacles, and the Social Media App Clone Wars

SNAP, the IPO from social media platform SnapChat, is set to arrive sometime in the next few weeks. SnapChat, for their part, has been pulling some odd moves around the launch, setting the valuation lower than most Bay Area app developers expected. The company also seems keen to prove to investors that they can and […]

Paris Takes on London as FinTech Capital in Wake of Brexit

This time last year, few developers would think of the Parisian tech scene when they thought of FinTech and mobile banking app development. In the wake of Brexit, the tech community is starting to see that change. Just this week, Paris held it’s first FinTech Forum event, highlighting exciting work going on in the French […]

How to Build a Successful Startup From App Idea to IPO

When the founders of AirBnB pitched their idea to Paul Graham at Y Combinator, he wasn’t initially impressed. On top of being late, the applicants had an idea that sounded, in his Graham’s own words, “weird.” But at the last second, he decided he saw grit in the group, and offered to help them turn […]

How Mobile App Developers are Making Livestreaming Take Off

Livestreaming has had a rough road to the mainstream. Apps like Meerkat and Periscope have struggled to maintain consistent growth. Even when integrated with Facebook via Facebook Live, mainstream app users have generally been bewildered by the concept of livestreaming. Part of the reason for that speed bump has been the constant pressure on app […]

Instagram Combines Snapchat and Periscope for Live Video

The best artists steal. The best iPhone app developers adopt the most popular features around them. Instagram is proving this to be a profitable tactic, as the company has managed to “steal” features like stories and disappearing video from Snapchat without even the whiff of bad feelings from users or other tech companies. Now they’re […]

Snapchat Prepares for IPO, Drawing Developer Speculation

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal (not to mention the tech rumor mill), SnapChat is starting to close in on an IPO for as early as this coming March. It’s been a great year for tech IPOs, so app developers and investors are cautiously optimistic that the messaging and social media Unicorn […]

Snapchat Wearable Hardware: Users Curious But Skeptical

Google Glass crashed and burned in their attempt to bring wearable augmented reality tech to the masses. Will SnapChat be able to succeed where Google failed? New media material leaked around the upcoming Spectacles launch has NYC iOS app developers and consumers cautious but hopeful that the “new media” company could bring the concept of […]

Facebook Messenger Opens Native Payments to Bot Developers

There’s been a lot of chatter about the “bot revolution” the past few months, but the spread of bot app usage among mainstream mobile app users has been slow at best. Part of the reason behind that, at least on go-to messaging platform Messenger, is the limitation on payments. Specifically, in order to make a […]