Facebook has announced their new anonymous group chat app, called Rooms. The social network has taken influence from early Web chat-rooms and forums, where people could use whatever identity they want, along with new mobile photo technology.
Rooms will work through QR codes that can be emailed, posted on networks or printed. This gives creators of groups a variety of ways to find people to join a specific room; allowing different kinds of chat-rooms focused on a specific topics.
Facebook is looking to make this a place where anyone can join and will not have to give their full name. It is not a secretive social network, but a messaging service where people can stay hidden, similar to Yik Yak or Rumr.
This follows the trend of anonymous message boards starting to crop up, especially in the U.S. where schools are taking a big liking to anonymous apps, which protect their identity better than Facebook and Twitter.
QR codes have always been an odd way to create conversations – the only place they worked is on BBM, back when BlackBerry had digit and QR codes to add people into message rooms.
Rooms is available on iOS right now, but no Android version is coming anytime soon. Facebook likes iOS more than Android when it comes to early development on free apps, with Paper still only available on iOS in the U.S.
