Meta's AI minigame-creation app Pocket launches in the US

Meta has expanded availability of its app Pocket to the United States, following a limited testing period in Brazil. The app is billed as a platform for creating and sharing digital creations known as "gizmos."

Users can generate these gizmos using text prompts, producing simple interactive experiences rather than full games in the traditional sense. Each creation gets published to a scrollable feed, giving the app a social-media-like structure. People can save favorite gizmos to a personal list and repost them to their own feed.

Built for modern phones

The gizmos take advantage of common smartphone features, responding to both touch input and device tilt, and can incorporate photos and music. Once a gizmo is saved to a user's profile, other users are able to remix it into their own distinct version.

The origin of the name

Meta opted for the term "gizmos" rather than "minigames" for a couple of likely reasons. For one, the creations extend beyond games — promotional material highlights simple tools such as a digital canvas for drawing. Additionally, Meta previously hired nearly the entire team behind a separate app called Gizmo, which offered a very similar concept and used the same terminology; that app subsequently shut down.

Pocket is free to download and use.

Part of a broader AI push

The launch follows other recent AI-focused moves by Meta. Last year, the company added a feature called Vibes to its Meta AI app, functioning as a feed of AI-generated content. Facebook has also recently rolled out a tool allowing users to animate their profile photos using AI.