According to the New York Times, in May Facebook discreetly launched a photo-editing app called Colorful Balloons, in China. The App was not previously announced until last Friday. It was spotted by the New York Times.
The New York Time reported that Colorful Balloons shares the look, function and feel of Facebook's Moments app. Colorful Balloons works with WeChat, a leading messaging app by Chinese social media giant Tencent, according to BBC.
The latest statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) show that China now has the world's largest online market with 731 million users.
A Facebook representative said in the interview with BBC "We have long said that we are interested in China, and are spending time understanding and learning more about the country in different ways."
Facebook was blocked in China in 2009, while its photo-sharing app Instagram was banned in 2014 and the encrypted messaging app WhatsApp was partially restricted last month.
Facebook has been trying to get back to Chinese market. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reported to have been trying to persuade Chinese officials for years, and even spent one year learning to speak Mandarin.
The release of Colorful Balloons indicates Facebook is trying a different way. By launching the new app anonymously, Facebook can have right connections and get familiar with the local rules.
