On This Day in 2010, Apple Released a Musical Social Media App That Completely Disappeared

On September 1, 2010, Apple launched its bespoke social media app called Ping. And if you don’t remember it, you’re probably not alone there. It was a short-lived venture that had a ton of potential, namely because it could easily be integrated into iTunes. A music-related social media app should have been a big deal. But, sadly, Ping ended up failing gloriously.

Ping was launched on this very day in 2010 by Apple as a sort of music-focused social media app. The application could be integrated with a user’s existing iTunes account. Services offered by Ping allowed users to follow their favorite bands and see what songs their friends were purchasing from the iTunes store. 

It also allowed them to check out short and sweet Tweet-like posts from bands and artists, as well as their friends. And you could do it all from your iPhone or iPod Touch. Even artists like Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Lady Gaga endorsed the hot new app.

Ping launched with about one million members across 23 countries, so it seemed set up to be the next big thing. Until it wasn’t.

What Happened to Apple’s Musical Social Media App, Ping?

It came out 15 years ago and then promptly disappeared. Whatever happened to Apple’s social media app, Ping? Well, to put it simply, Ping was an absolute flop. The concept of Ping was certainly cool. Unfortunately, the app was riddled with issues that doomed it from the start. 

Facebook integrations with Ping were removed almost immediately after its launch, following a failed agreement between Facebook and Apple. The application was also riddled with spam, only 24 hours after it had dropped. Much of that spam was created by scammers who made accounts on Ping and advertised free iPhones and iPads. It appears as though Apple had not set up any spam filtering in the new application.

Along with that, there were issues involving fake accounts. Singer/songwriter Ben Folds took to Twitter to say that a fake account had been made in his name. And he was far from the only one.

From there, the limited availability of the app in only 23 countries, coupled with worsening spam issues on the app, led to its demise. After a little over two years in the App Store, Ping was effectively discontinued in September of 2012.

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