In 2014, a start-up company called Flipgrid launched. It offered a way for teachers to send their students topics via videos and text in a grid pattern on a web browser or mobile app, and then students could respond with their own videos.
Originally, the company sold subscriptions to access Flipgird. However, in 2018, Microsoft announced it was acquiring Flipgrid for an unnamed amount and would make the service free to use for schools. At the time, Flipgrid said it was being used by 20 million students, educators, and families across 180 countries. In 2022, it was announced that Flipgrid was changing its name to just Flip.
However, Microsoft has now decided to close down Flip's apps and services. A post on the Flip site revealed that Flip apps have been unavailable for download since July 1. The apps and the Flip site will no longer be available after September 30. Users still have time to download any videos they wish to get from the Flip site until that deadline.
In the post, the Flip team stated:
While it’s incredibly hard to say goodbye to our Flip standalone apps, this community has meant the world to us, and we have every intention of continuing on our mission together to empower every learner. There are exciting new possibilities on the horizon for educators and students, and we look forward to what the future holds!
Microsoft plans to integrate the core features of Flip into Teams for Education. It will allow teachers to send video assignments to their students, and the students can send video responses back. It added:
Your class inside Teams will serve a similar role as a Flip group, and video assignments are similar to Flip topics. Additional features like comments, Mixtapes, and AR will not be available in Teams.
Microsoft will not transfer data from the Flip apps or website after they shut down. The company plans to delete all data within 30 days of the site and apps' closure.
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