The new It-Girl app: Inside Pinterest’s INVITE-ONLY platform that has taken Gen Z by storm

The viral app Shuffles has sparked internet frenzy among Gen-Z desperately trying to get a code to enter the invite-only app made for A-list creators to create collage style mood boards. 

Pinterest dropped its exclusive app in August and it quickly took the internet by storm as it allows creators to do anything from curating fashion to designing room aesthetics.

For users that were around when Pinterest first launched in 2010, they know that the app began as an invite-only app, until it decided to end its exclusive policy in 2012. 

So it comes as no surprise the social media app decided to pull a page from its 2010 playbook and design Shuffles for only the most elite creators. 

Pinterest dropped its app in August and it quickly took the internet by storm as it allows creators to do anything from curating fashion to create mood boards

It comes as no surprise the social media app decided to pull a page from its 2010 playbook and design Shuffles for only the most elite creators

Pinterest snuck Shuffles onto the app store in August and quickly made its way to the top of the app store with its collective collaging, secret codes and long wait list of users eagerly waiting for their chance to enter the Shuffle world. 

Those lucky enough to join the platform aren’t only welcomed with an endless possibility of collage materials, but are also given anywhere from two to five invite codes to share with others. 

So how exactly does the app work and why has it made its way to the top of the charts?  

Well, Shuffles connects to your Pinterest account and allows you to create collages or mood boards using pins on your boards. 

Creators also have the option to search for images, add pictures from their camera roll and use pre-made cutouts. 

Once you complete a collage you can post it to your page and allow other elite creators to like, comment, share and ‘reshuffle’, which is a way to remix and re-share any collage already shared on the app. 

The app has been dubbed the app for the ‘It-Girl’ because of its exclusivity and has many desperately trying get a code, some even paying upwards of $100

Shuffles connects to your Pinterest account and allows you to create collages or mood boards using pins on your boards

And just like TikTok, there is a For You Page that is filled with collages that fit your every aesthetic the more you create and interact within the app. 

Shuffles even allows creators to view the most popular or trending collages.  

Users are praising the app for its ability to recognize objects and automatically cut them out, rather than other apps, such as Picsart where users must download images and hand cut each element. 

The app also offers other in-app features, including adding text and searching for photos through Pinterest and a library of user-generated content that links back to your pins.  

Features aside, Gen-Z seem to love the app for the nostalgia it brings, as many used the popular app Tumblr to create and share collages back in 2014. 

But the real reason many are desperately trying to get into the app is to feel as though they among the most elite creators.

The reason the platform brought back its exclusive policy was to create more buzz around their app and less around other social media platforms. 

In recent years, Pinterest has seen a growing number of people us the app to increase their following on Instagram. 

They would post an Instagram photo and it would re-direct any Pinterest users to Instagram. 

So, with the invite-only feature, the platform makes users feel special, while encouraging them to use its app and its app only. 

To get a coveted code and enter into the epic mood board world, users must either be given one by creators who are already on the app or go through other social media platforms in hopes of lucking out and finding a code. 

Some users on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok have been sharing their codes to the social media platform.

Others are using ‘Shuffles code trains’, which are usually threads on Reddit or Twitter where users will post codes for others to find them and then they will post the codes as they get them as a means of paying it forward. 

While finding a code through social media might be the hardest option, as users are forced to constantly refresh the page in hopes of swooping up a code before someone else does, it seems to be the easiest.

TikTok users branded as ‘It girls’ have been sharing their collages on the app, admitted that they have become ‘obsessed’ with the platform prompting many to beg the creators for one of their secret codes. 

And the app has gained so much traction that it even has users paying for codes. 

Some A-list creators are pawning of their coveted codes and while some are making as little as $2 off the codes, others are making as much as $120. 

And if all else fails, users can join the dreaded waitlist the app offers as they cross their fingers the Pinterest designed app will once again rid themselves of the exclusive policy. 

Despite the popularity behind the app, its currently only available to IOS members within the US, so it looks like any Android users will have to give up on being the latest ‘It girl’.