Is Lapse trying to beat Instagram at its own game?

Since Instagram switched up its algorithm last year to focus on short TikTok-style videos, several new apps have popped up, aiming to carry on Instagram’s original goal of sharing photos with friends. BeReal, Grainery, and Glass have each found different levels of success in their quests to become go-to visual social platforms. Now, there’s a new player in the game: Lapse. 

This U.K.-born app transforms your phone into a throwback disposable camera, allowing you to share those charmingly grainy photos with close-knit groups a few hours later. As of November 13, Lapse snagged the third spot on the Apple App Store’s list of free iPhone apps in the U.S., even beating out TikTok and Google. Plus, it claimed the number one spot in the photo and video category on the App Store charts.

While Instagram and TikTok push users to boost their followers and snag ad deals, Lapse is carving out success by going in the opposite direction—toward a potentially more genuine, non-gamified experience among people who genuinely know and like each other. Even big-time influencers who’ve thrived on Instagram, like Kylie Jenner, are calling for this kind of shift.

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Is Lapse in for the big race?

The big question is whether this approach can build a lasting business model for Lapse and its counterparts. Lapse has caught some flak for its growth strategies, making new users invite friends onto the platform before they can snap any photos. Only time will tell if this tactic proves sustainable.

“There’s a feeling in the air that the follower-followee dynamic of social media just doesn’t work,” Harper Reed, an entrepreneur and technologist, told Time. “So people have been focusing on shrinking who they follow to get back to the small group. But I think Lapse is using a completely predatory growth strategy.” 

Lapse kicks off with a basic point-and-shoot camera vibe, mimicking disposable film cameras. Forget about zooming in or slapping on filters. Once you snap a pic, it goes through a “processing” phase in a digital “dark room” for a few hours. The end result? Uneditable photos that, much like old-school film pics, often have that washed-out, grainy charm.

But a lot of folks dig that look—it taps into a sense of nostalgia and gives the photos an instant classic vibe. Lapse also hopped on a new iPhone feature that came out last year, letting users slap widgets right onto their lock screens. Now, with just a single tap on their phones, users can jump straight into Lapse’s camera.

Other camera apps, like Huji, deliver a similar film-like photo vibe. What makes Lapse stand out is its social media twist. Once your photos “develop,” you can decide to keep them to yourself or share them with your buddies. The shared pics then pop up on your friends’ feeds. No “likes” in this app—just emoji reactions and comments.

“A big priority is that we didn’t want to create this sense of competition on the platform,” says Lapse co-founder Ben Silvertown. “Existing social networks have created this environment that’s so high pressure.”

Early criticism forced Lapse to drop its approach

Despite Lapse making waves in recent months, it’s also rubbed some potential users the wrong way with its in-your-face promotion. To get in, you’ve got to grant the app access to your contacts and then rope in five friends who aren’t already on board. When sending those invites, Lapse takes the liberty of preloading messages with overly enthusiastic language like “how cute is this.”

Dan Silvertown recognized the criticism and mentioned that the company is thinking about ditching the requirement, even if it means taking a hit on their overall download numbers.

“If we do take a hit in the short term on downloads or a loss of position on the App Store, we would be comfortable with that, if it allows us to build a better product in the longer term that users love even more,” he says. 

Lapse’s next hurdle is to build a sustainable business model. In 2021, the company got a boost with an $11 million funding round; currently, it’s totally free for users and doesn’t rake in any revenue. Similar photo apps, like Dispo and BeReal, hit a speed bump in growth after an initial burst. Dan Silvertown has mentioned in earlier interviews that he’s keen on steering Lapse away from ad-based monetization models altogether.

Octopus Ventures and GV (formerly known as Google Ventures) took charge in backing the London-based startup, joined by Speedinvest and individual investors. Notable among them is Soleio Cuervo, an early Facebook designer with a knack for social engagement—he was on the crew that crafted Facebook’s iconic “like” button.

In September, when Lapse hit the scene, it snagged 10,000 users for its beta test, made a quick climb to the peak of Apple’s download charts, and stacked up a waitlist of 150,000. This rapid traction is one reason why the startup managed to swiftly put together a solid seed round with backing from a formidable lineup of investors.

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What could work for Lapse?

Lapse belongs to the group of apps that are catching the eye of both users and investors because they’re intentionally flipping around some of the mechanics we typically link with social media.

Even though Instagram, TikTok, and similar platforms keep piling up millions of devoted users, there’s a distinct group of folks (and parents of said folks) who approach them with caution. These platforms have been known to harbor a ton of toxic content, and since it’s challenging to fully control how they’re utilized (and misused), some folks think the best solution is to just ditch them altogether.

On a lighter note, even those who’ve had a blast or even made a business out of mainstream social media apps get worn out by the constant pressure for likes and visibility. That’s why many are keen to delve into more personal or meaningful ways of being “social.”

Earlier this year, the startup secured funding, but it faced challenges as the factors that initially brought it viral attention took a negative turn. Co-founded by popular YouTuber David Dobrik, the startup faced controversy when one of Dobrik’s associates was accused of sexual assault. 

This incident led to a sour experience for many, with early investors pulling out and disassociating from the venture, and Dobrik being removed from any association with it. Despite the setbacks, the app isn’t completely steering clear of trendy social media movements. In September, it initiated a test to see if users were interested in selling their photos as NFTs.