Google likely to launch Snapchat 'Discover' competitor

Looks like everyone is after Snapchat. After Facebook-owned Instagram 'copied' several of its features, now Google is likely to launch a competitor to Snapchat's 'Discover' feature, the media reported.

Snapchat 'Discover' was first introduced in January 2015. It is a section of the app that lets news partners distribute video, image and text collections that remain accessible for 24 hours.

Google is developing a technology that would allow news publishers to build a news service that is similar to Snapchat 'Discover', by making mini-magazine of slides that users could swipe one-by-one on their smartphones, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

"We don't have anything to announce at the moment but look forward to sharing more soon," a Google representative was quoted by tech website CNET.

Google had held informal dialogue with Snap Inc -- the parent company of popular messaging app Snapchat -- and reportedly offered $30 billion to buy Snap Inc in 2016.

Snap's CEO Evan Spiegel, who is widely considered as being independent, apparently did not show interest in selling his firm to Google or anybody else.

Spiegel also values running Snap in Southern California and outside of Silicon Valley, where Alphabet - Google's parent company is headquartered.

Earlier, in 2013, Google was rumoured to have been tried to acquire Snapchat for $4 billion after Spiegel refused an offer from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Snap Inc is set to announce earnings report next week, its second since going public at $17 just four months ago.

--IANS

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