Lapse: a cautionary tale for social products that prioritize disposable sharing?

Official Announcement - November 3rd 2025

Hey all,

It’s with a heavy heart i’m writing to tell you that we have to make some changes to Lapse.

Over the past three years, millions of you have captured billions of memories that made Lapse what it is today. The team and I are endlessly grateful, and constantly in awe of the love you’ve shown our little camera.

But as the community has grown, so too have the costs of running the platform. And while Lapse remains full of heart, creativity, and honesty - we can no longer sustain the scale we’ve reached.

Faced with that, we had two options:

close down completely or simplify the app.

We chose to save it because we still believe in what Lapse stands for; an alternative way to capture life, free from the pressure of over-curation.

So, from early December, Lapse will return to its roots: a disposable camera app to capture and keep your treasured moments.

Sadly this means we will lose our social features, like Feed, Profile, and Chat - but your Memories are safe, and will now sync with iOS Photos.

We understand that for many, Lapse became more than a camera, it became a special place to share between friends (not followers).

So this decision has been the toughest we’ve ever made. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for choosing to capture and share your lives through Lapse.

It’s a deep privilege that means the world to us, and we hope you’ll keep creating with us on the new Lapse.

Love Ben & the whole Lapse team