To clearly disclose the ownership of two apps– WhatsApp and Instagram, Facebook is changing their name. Going forward, they will be called or displayed as ‘Instagram from Facebook’, and ‘WhatsApp from Facebook’.
“We want to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook,” a spokesperson told The Information, who first broke the story.
As of now, it seems that WhatsApp’s and Instagram’s names will stay the same on Android and iOS-based smartphones but will be updated in the coming days. There is no clarity on the timelines.
The reason behind this move by Facebook could be that they want to integrate WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger into one. The combined user base of the three apps is over 2.6 billion. Maybe another reason for this exercise could be to showcase Facebook as a flag bearer.
It may be recalled Mark Zuckerberg, Founder of Facebook, had a troubled relationship with the founders of Instagram and WhatsApp after taking the ownership of both the apps. Founders of both the app have quit Facebook after spending some time in the merged entity.