Facebook Launches Tuned, a New Shared Space App for Couples

Facebook on Tuesday launched a new social app for couples called "Tuned" that allows partners to chat, share photos, music and have a timeline of shared memories between them.

The Tuned app is currently available only on Apple's App Store in the United States and Canada, according to data from industry site Sensor Tower.

Facebook's New Product Experimentation (NPE) team, which created Tuned, describes the app as: "A private space where you and your significant other can just be yourselves. With Tuned, you can be as mushy, quirky, and silly as you are together in person, even when you're apart. Creatively express your love, share your mood, exchange music, and build a digital scrapbook of your special moments."

Tuned is currently ranked No. 872 in the US and No. 550 in Canada in the social networking category, Sensor Tower said.

NPE was created last year to focus on launching consumer-focused experimental apps. In February, the team launched a photo and video sharing app, "Hobbi".

On its Facebook page, the team says, "NPE Team apps will be aligned with Facebook's mission of giving people the power to build community but will focus on shipping entirely new experiences. We decided to use this separate brand name to help set the appropriate expectations with users that NPE Team apps will change very rapidly and will be shut down if we learn that they're not useful to people."

NPE Team elaborates further on the reason for its creation, "Oftentimes starting small is the best way to make the biggest discoveries. That's why we started NPE – a team focused on building new products and experiences... Many of the products we create will start small and may not resonate with everyone. And we expect many will be shutdown as a result. That's okay. Because we believe building without fear of failure is the only way to achieve success."

© Thomson Reuters 2020