Hobbi, the new Facebook app that challenges Pinterest

Hobbi is the new Facebook app dedicated to DIY and do-it-yourself lovers. Here's how it works and where it's available

Hobbi is the new application launched by Facebook and, just as the name suggests, is designed for all hobbyists. Users can publish their manual works and organize them within specific folders. It was launched, without too much fanfare, on the App Store and takes inspiration from Pinterest.

It is not an "official" tool but it is a kind of experiment that comes from the idea of a group of employees within the company. The project therefore falls into the group of so-called "New Product Experimentation". These are tools created internally but that could also function as standalone apps. For the moment Hobbi is available in few areas of the world. It will be up to users to decide its fate: it could be a flop or receive many downloads. In the latter case, Facebook is ready to make new investments to expand the project, and perhaps, welcome it within its platforms.

Hobbi: how the Facebook app works

With its new project, Facebook winks at those who have a passion for manual labor. The goal is to give a container to store and show everyone their works. From carpentry, to recipes, interior design, up to DIY: the application offers enormous possibilities and takes inspiration from Pinterest, one of the major apps dedicated to hobbyists.

Google, a month ago launched a very similar tool: Tangi allows you to make and publish short videos of your creations. Hobbi, however, has some differences, just as you can read in the description that appears in the App Store. In fact, this tool would like to help users document and remember the things they like to do, but it is not an advanced platform and has only basic archiving functions. The launch of this application also confirms that the company is investing in projects that go beyond the scope of its brand.

Hobbi: how it's made

Hobbi has a very simple structure: after uploading the photograph, you can choose the thematic folder in which to store it. Each folder has a specific title "Carpentry", "Kitchen" and so on. Of course the names of the different containers can be customized. Thus, this solution lets you have an online space to store your photographs, and above all it lets you monitor your progress. For the time being, it is not yet possible to share content, but you can create and save videos that combine the photographs saved over time and thus witness your progress.

Hobbi: development team and availability

For the time being, Hobbi is only available for Apple devices that support iOS 11.0 or later. It was developed by one of the working groups called "skunworks" i.e. a team of developers and experts who come together to make projects free from corporate guidelines and obligations.

In this view, Hobbi would be nothing more than a test. And that's why it was launched without any ads and has no special features. For now, it is only available in the United States, as well as Belgium, Spain, Colombia and Ukraine.