Poparazzi
Type of site | Social network service |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | Marina del Rey, California |
| Owner | TTYL Inc. |
| CEO | Alex Ma |
| Registration | Yes |
| Launched | May 24, 2021 |
| Current status | Discontinued June 30, 2023 |
Poparazzi was an American social networking and photo-sharing app developed by TTYL Inc., first launched on May 24, 2021. Unlike traditional social media platforms, users are unable to upload content to their own profile, which is made up exclusively of photos taken or uploaded by their friends. Poparazzi's developers have said they built the platform to "take away the pressure to be perfect", encouraging candid photos like that of the paparazzi.[1]
After initial viral success sent the platform to the top of the App Store charts, the app would experience a steady slowdown in growth which lead to the app's eventual closure on June 20, 2026.[2][3]
Features
[edit]Poparazzi restricted the use of the front-facing camera, restricting users from uploading selfies to the platform.[4] Users could choose which uploads from their friends appeared on their profile or restrict who was able to tag them in photos. Likes and follower counts were hidden from profiles and the service did not allow users to leave comments on posts.[5]
The app automatically followed all contacts in a person's phone upon sign-up, which raised privacy concerns from some users.[6]
History
[edit]TTYL Inc was co-founded by Alex and Austin Ma. The pair had released other social media apps previously, and were able to raise $2 million in investment funding in 2018 which supported the development of Poparazzi.[7] The company used TikTok and an open TestFlight beta to generate initial interest, boosting preorders and creating high demand at launch.[8][6]
In June 2022, TTYL was able to secure $15 million in Series A funding and shared that the app had reached 5 million downloads.[9] In August, TTYL unveiled a new app called Made With Friends, which was similar in concept to Poparazzi with support for additional kinds of content.[10]
On May 1, 2023, TTYL announced that the app would be discontinued, with users having until June 20 to download their photos.[2] Shortly after, the core team behind Poparazzi including CEO Alex Ma were hired by Meta Platforms.[11]
References
[edit]- ↑ Kunthara, Sophia (2021-05-25). "What You Need To Know About Poparazzi, The Red-Hot New Photo-Sharing App That Doesn't Allow Selfies". Crunchbase News. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- 1 2 Perez, Sarah (2023-05-01). "Once-hot photo-sharing app Poparazzi is shutting down". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- ↑ Tran, Kevin (2021-05-28). "Poparazzi Is the Hot New App. Here's How It Could Cool Down". Variety. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- ↑ "Poparazzi Is the "Anti-Selfie" App Taking Over Social Media - PAPER Magazine". www.papermag.com. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- ↑ Matica, Ann (2021-07-26). "After Fast Start, Social App Poparazzi Sees Slowdown". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- 1 2 Perez, Sarah (2021-05-26). "Poparazzi hypes itself to the top of the App Store". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- ↑ Varanasi, Lakshmi. "The inside story of how 29-year-old Poparazzi cofounder Alex Ma failed his way to creating the anti-Instagram app now valued at over $100 million". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- ↑ "Poparazzi: Testflight, Tiktok and pre-orders send app to the top in a flash". OMR. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- ↑ Perez, Sarah (2022-06-01). "Poparazzi hits 5M+ downloads a year, confirms $15M Series A". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- ↑ Perez, Sarah (2022-08-30). "Poparazzi readying a new social app that goes beyond photos". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- ↑ Bradley, Sydney. "Meta has scooped up the core team behind Poparazzi, the anti-selfie app that recently shut down". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-08-07.