Facebook’s short-video app launched in 2018 and later shut down was called Lasso.
Lasso launched for iOS and Android on November 9, 2018. Developed by Facebook, it targeted teenagers and let users create and share short videos set to music. Hashtags and trending-video discovery were central features, making Lasso a direct attempt to compete with TikTok and the rapidly growing short-form-video market.
The timing was significant: TikTok had absorbed Musical.ly in August 2018, bringing Musical.ly’s large community into TikTok’s global platform. Facebook responded with a standalone product rather than relying only on its main social network or Instagram, but Lasso gained little lasting traction.
Facebook announced on July 2, 2020, that Lasso would shut down on July 10. The closure came as Facebook concentrated on Instagram Reels, its more prominent TikTok competitor, which launched in 2020. Lasso is therefore distinct from Dubsmash and Triller, while TikTok was the rival app it most directly sought to challenge.