appRooms, like many of the experiments being run by Facebook Creative Labs, which is also responsible for apps like Paper, Slingshot, Mentions , and Groups , was the first Facebook that didn’t require users to use their real names. It also allows users to discuss topics they care about, including those where they might not want to reveal their real names, such as in chat rooms for disease support groups.
But when the Rooms launched, it was difficult for users to find groups to join because of the way the invitation process worked. Today, that has been partially fixed, with the launch of a new feature within the app.
When the app launched in October, any user could create a room with a theme of their choosing, but there was no way for users to find these rooms in the app. Instead, users had to receive an invitation from another person in order to join.
Additionally, the app uses QR Codes as an invitation method, which, although more widely understood by mainstream users, poses a difficulty for some.
After receiving an invitation to a Room, users must install the app and register with an account, then give the app access to their camera and photos, in order to be able to connect to the space they were invited to join.
However, at the time of the app's launch, the app's creator, Josh Miller, said he wanted the app's users to grow slowly in order to build a loyal user base, so to some extent, the complicated registration process was intentional.
It is now easier for new users to use this service.
