Google is set to close down file-sharing smartphone app Bump after buying it just four months ago.
The Californian search giant purchased Bump Technologies, the startup company that developed the app, in a deal reported to be worth up to £36m last September.
Along with Flock – another app from the Google-owned startup which allows its users to access a single shared album of photos with their friends – Bump will be removed from Google Play and the App Store on January 31. After that date, both apps will cease to function and all user data will disappear.
Speaking about the decision, Bump’s chief executive and co-founder, David Lieb, wrote in a blog post that the company is now focusing on a number of new projects being developed within Google.
In the next few weeks, users will be able to export data by following in-app instructions, which will send them an email with a link to their images, video clips and various other data.
Thanking users for all of their feedback and support, Lieb described Bump in the blog post as a “revolutionary product” that inspired a number of advances elsewhere. Further, he expressed hope that the company’s future creations with Google will be just as innovative.
Bump allows smartphone users to share data by engaging in a ‘fist bump’ – a gesture with a similar meaning to a handshake or a high five – while holding their devices.
While Flock provides individuals with a single cohesive photo album, the closure isn’t likely to affect small businesses using social platforms to share photos with their customer base. When incorporated into a strong website marketing strategy, sites like Facebook and Twitter remain two of the best visual platforms for brands.
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Google gives the Bump to recent acquisition http://t.co/EtHzRTdhQy