by linked-in –– Facebook took another aim at Snapchat by announcing a new messaging app for Instagram users. Threads, the name of the new app, allows users to send photos or videos to lists of their close friends — much like Snapchat. Facebook tried to take on Snapchat in 2012 with an app called Poke and again in 2014 with an app called Slingshot, but neither effort took off.