Pinterest Shuffles App
Introducing the Next Generation of Collage Creation
There’s a new app making waves on the social scene. You might not have heard about it yet because it’s heavily coveted by the Gen Z demographic which you might not be a part of. Not to mention that it hasn’t been publicly released, you can consider the app to be in a beta phase, or soft launch.
The Shuffles App is leveraging exclusivity with an invite only mechanism to engage with the app. While the app is currently invite only, the app can be downloaded to your mobile device if you are on Apple IOS.
The frenzy surrounding Shuffles reminds me of the intrigue that swallowed up Clubhouse just a short while ago. Clubhouse initially was invite only as well and when the app blew up, everyone was clamoring to gain an invite. Notice also that Clubhouse was initially only available to Apple mobile device users too.
What is Shuffles App?
A BRIEF HISTORY
Shuffles is a new app created by Pinterest, or more specifically, created by TwoTwenty, Pinterest’s in-house team tasked to bring forth innovation through products at a faster pace in the ever changing climate of social media.
The app launched quietly in July of 2022 and soft launched to English speaking countries in mid August. News about the app hasn’t been published by Pinterest itself, yet already we see an explosion of interest in the app generated through the help of another app, TikTok, and the power of Gen Z and viral social media content.
The Shuffles app is a digital collage of sorts where users can create mood boards and collect images that reflects their ideas and creative expressions to self express and share with the Shuffles community at large or with their personal inner circle. Think of Shuffles as a smart digital canvas where users layer and join fragmented thoughts and ideas into one space through artistic and aesthetic elements.
For anyone who thinks and dreams up ideas through pictures and images, Shuffles is the perfect place to organize and hold a thought that can be referenced later to create a new and unique thought or emerging idea.
Another layer of fuel added to the fire is the exclusive and selective nature of the Shuffles app. These layers include:
INVITE ONLY
At present, the Shuffles App is exclusive because it is an invite only app. While anyone is free to download the app, provided you own an Apple device (ios only), use of the app is limited to those who can get their hands on a Shuffles invite code.
Becoming somewhat of a precious commodity, the invite code grants you access to play around and use the app.
LIMITED INVITATIONS
Individuals who initially got invited to the app were reportedly gifted 5 Shuffles invite codes, whereas, newly added invitees see that the invite codes have dwindled to 3 and then 2 codes. While we don’t know for sure why the count of invite codes has gone down, perhaps to keep the app more exclusive, it feels like the app changes day to day with little to no notice of the sweeping changes that are taking place until after it occurs.
IOS DEVICES ONLY
Sorry Google and Android, but Shuffles is only available to IOS users, which isn’t a surprise as Pinterest seems to favor Apple devices when rolling out new changes to their platform and appears reasonable that this tendency extends to any future innovation and their product suites.
Why use Shuffles?
If you’re already rolling your eyes and you’re feeling immediate dread at the idea of adding yet another social platform to the mix, I feel you. More than you know. The fast paced nature of this digital environment is dizzying at best and chaotic and catastrophic at its worst.
Feeling more anxiety than interest in the platform, then I would argue that, for now, let this one go. Not all platforms are meant for the masses and if you don’t already have a successful strategy on other social platforms (TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc,) then don’t feel compelled to add another one to your list.
But if this platform feels refreshing, different yet familiar, and you feel drawn to the aspects of creative expression, I encourage you to play around with the app and get your feet wet, even if it’s just a pinky toe. Remember, those who are early adopters to new and emerging social media apps have the potential to be rewarded heavily and in ways that can actually change your life.
How Shuffles works in conjunction with Pinterest?
By design, the Shuffles app is interconnected with the Pinterest app. Any image or pin that you have posted and shared on Pinterest can be used as an element within the Shuffles app.
For example, let’s say you have a board of your favorite home organization products. Within the Shuffles app, you can directly access that board and select images within your pins to bring them over, digitally into Shuffles.
When you do this, any products that are connected to a product page will retain the linking capabilities so that whoever sees your Shuffle and interacts with it can click on the product image to then be directly taken to the product page of the image.
This is an incredible feature for any business owner who relies on affiliate marketing and product sales.
Unique Features
Shuffles uses hashtags to organize and categorize images. This is a familiar feature that we see across all social media apps, but more specifically the relevance is important on Pinterest as the app is and remains a search engine.
Shuffles is a compilation of elements and images that create a fun collage. But Shuffles leveled up the app to include animation into the elements and images. While it’s a departure from the emphasis we see of video content scattered in abundance on our Pinterest feeds, the capability to add movement to elements is a nice in between feature that feels unique and different on this app.
With the rise of video content on every single social platform, it’s interesting and noteworthy to see that Shuffles has made its grand entrance with an almost exclusive image app. Maybe someone should tell Instagram that photos aren’t obsolete or dead.
All the same features we come to expect from a social media app such as follows, likes and comments are still a part of Shuffles. And similar to what we see on Pinterest of saving pins or repinning, there is an equivalent feature called reshuffle.
Conclusion
There is no denying the presence and imprint Gen Z has placed on the Shuffles app to date. The highest trending hashtags include the words aethetic, vintage, and taylorswift. The app is already saturated with Shuffles adorned with images of Taylor Swift, Twilight and Harry Styles.
Is the shuffles app for you? You might not have the luxury to decide if you don’t happen to come across an exclusive invite code. As you patiently wait for an invite or get lifted off the waitlist, ponder whether this app aligns with your business objectives and your personal creative pursuits. If there is an alignment, this might become your favorite social media app yet.