Lapse (social network)

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Lapse

Original author(s)	Dan Silvertown Ben Silvertown
Developer(s)	Lapse Ltd.
Initial release	2021
Platform	iOS 16 or later
Website	lapse.com

Lapse is a British social media platform and photo-sharing app. Co-founded by Dan and Ben Silvertown in 2021,^[1] the app offers users the ability to take and share images, as well as interact with other users' posts through comments and reactions.^[2] It also lets users form groups to collaborate to produce a digital photo collection.^[3] It gained popularity with its launch in 2021 and later in 2023 when it was re-released as invitation-only.^[4]

Similar to BeReal and Dispo, a user's photo is “processed” in a “dark room” for a few hours and cannot be edited in any form, producing a grainy image style resembling that of analog photography.^[5] Branding itself as "for Friends not Followers" on Apple's App Store,^[6] it has a focus on being "authentic" on social media.^[7]

Lapse was originally launched in 2021 to mimic the style of a point-and-shoot camera, but refocused as a "photo dump" journal like the mobile app VSCO.^[8] After a pre-seed funding round of $1.4 million, the app was launched on the App Store in September 2021 and attracted 10,000 beta test users, along with a 150,000 member waiting list.^[3] In December 2021, the company raised $11 million in a seed round of funding.^[3]

The app was re-released in June 2023. The release controversially required new users to invite five new users before attaining posting permissions,^[4] described by TechCrunch reporter Sarah Perez as "forcing you to invite your friends."^[9] This helped the app gain users and widespread popularity beginning September 2023.^[10] According to Appfigures, Lapse peaked at 218,000 downloads in a day in October and briefly became the most downloaded app on the U.S. App Store, and maintained in the top 5 daily. By late November, daily downloads dropped to 44,738.^[8]

On 27 February 2024, Lapse raised $30 million in funds from investors led by Greylock Partners and DST Global Partners. According to Lapse's statement, the funding was being planned to hire employees in product development, engineering, and design.^[11]