Instagram and WhatsApp to Get ‘From Facebook’ Branding

Your favourite apps Instagram and WhatsApp are set to gain ‘From Facebook’ branding, according to The Information:

In a big shift, Facebook plans to signal its control of Instagram and WhatsApp by adding its name to both apps, according to three people familiar with the matter. The social network will rebrand the apps to “Instagram from Facebook” and “WhatsApp from Facebook,” the people said.




Both Instagram and WhatsApp previously had independence from Facebook branding-wise, but this new addition makes it clear both apps belong to the social network. Internally, the change has been “met with surprise and confusion” according to The Information’s sources.

“We want to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook,” said a Facebook spokeswoman to The Information, who also emphasized their Workplace enterprise product also has similar branding.

The new ‘from Facebook’ branding will appear within apps at login pages and also in the App Store, for example.

Both Instagram and WhatsApp have over 1 billion combined users. Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion USD in 2012, and WhatsApp for $22 billion USD in 2013.

Co-founders of both companies left Facebook last year and have since been replaced by veteran executives by CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently slapped Facebook with a $5 billion USD fine over its repeated privacy violations, such as its role in last spring’s Cambridge Analytica data breach.

A recent survey by Proof CanTrust Index revealed only 28% of Canadians trust Facebook.

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