In the latest Facebook update, the company has rolled out three new camera-centric features to its Android and iOS apps. The improvements arrive as Facebook takes further steps to compete with the ever-popular messaging app Snapchat — and fans of that might find these new additions quite familiar.
Direct
“Direct “essentially mimics the core functionality of Snapchat: you can share photos and videos with specific friends that will be viewable for a limited time only. Facebook says that when you send a photo or video via Direct, the friend who receives it will be able to “View it once and replay it or write a reply,” and that “Once the conversation on the photo or video ends, the content is no longer visible in Direct.”
I don’t fully understand how the “conversation ends” on these pictures — conversations in the messaging apps I use generally don’t have an ending, they’re just forever ongoing. Perhaps it’s clearer to Snapchat users.
Stories
Stories is a feature which lets you share photos and videos which can be viewed for 24 hours. These can be seen by your friends, but they won’t appear on your Timeline or in News Feed unless you post them there, too. Instead, they’ll be accessible from the profile pictures which now appear at top of the main feed. WhatsApp rolled out a similar concept recently too.
Camera effects
The last update straight ‘outta Snapchat comes in the form of camera effects. Facebook is rolling out a number these, including filters, masks and “dynamic objects” that can be applied to your snaps. In addition, the camera icon will now be accessible from the top left corner of the Facebook app, or by swiping right on the News Feed, to make photos even easier to take.
Facebook also announced that it was partnering with film companies to create camera effects related to upcoming movies.
“Over the coming months, we plan to introduce new ways for the Facebook community to create their own frames and effects that can be used on any photo or video created with the new Facebook camera,” Facebook wrote, in its announcement post. “Our goal is for the camera to be a home to hundreds of dynamic and fun effects that give you new ways to connect with friends, family, and your community.”
Facebook said it was starting to roll out these features from today but it might take a while for it to hit your particular device. Let us know what you think of Facebook’s most recent moves in the comments.
Previous updates
Desktop/laptop streaming
March 23: Having enabled live streaming through its mobile app last year, Facebook has announced that live video can now be broadcast from desktop and laptop devices too. Facebook announced the addition on March 22, and you should be able to find the “live video” button at the top of your News Feed or Timeline on the desktop version of the Facebook site. Once you click it, you can follow the prompts to add a description and select your audience, before beginning your broadcast.
Ad Breaks
February 24: Facebook now allows commercials to be added to the middle of videos published on the platform. The ads can appear once the video has been running for at least twenty seconds and must be spaced two minutes apart thereafter. In addition, the company announced that it is rolling out the feature for live streams with the name “Ad Breaks”.
This is available to any publisher with 2,000 or more followers who has streamed to 300 or more concurrent viewers in a recent video. In this instance, the live stream must have been rolling for four minutes before the ad can be inserted (at the tap of a button) and additional ad breaks must be spread 5 minutes apart.
Facebook confirmed that videos watched on TV using its recently announced set-top box app would not include the ads.
Picture-in-picture mode, autoplay sound for videos, video apps for TV
February 14: With this new Facebook update, videos will now play sound by default, right in the News Feed. Of course, sound won’t be enabled in videos if your phone is on silent, so there’s nothing to worry about there. You can also switch this feature off if you’d like in the Settings menu of the Facebook app.
Facebook is also bringing a few other video enhancements to its mobile apps. In the Facebook for Android app, vertical videos will now play in a larger, upright format. This will certainly make vertical videos easier to watch on mobile devices. Further, Facebook is bringing picture-in-picture mode to its mobile apps: now when you’re watching a video on Facebook, you can minimize it and keep scrolling through your News Feed. The video will play in the corner of your screen, and you can even drag it around to any corner you’d like. Plus, Android users will be able to keep the video playing when you exit the Facebook app if you need to do something else on your phone.
Finally, Facebook is launching new video apps for the Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Smart TV. With these new apps, you’ll be able to watch videos shared by friends, by Pages you follow, recommended videos based on your interests, and even the top live videos from around the world.
New weather section
February 9: Although it may not be too easy to find, Facebook for Android is gaining a new weather section. You can now check up on the current weather conditions in your area, hourly weather details and a five-day forecast.
Combating fake news
February 1: Facebook has made some behind-the-scene changes designed in part to bring what it calls “authentic news” to the top of your feed. The update will add new signals to the News Feed that will figure out if a post is “authentic”, at least according to Facebook’s algorithms.
Slideshow coming to Android
January 26: A number of Android users have been reporting that Facebook is beginning to roll out the previously iOS-exclusive Slideshow feature to Android devices. In case you’re unfamiliar, Slideshow will turn your photos and videos into themed clips, similar to what the Assistant does in Google Photos.
from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2hrQ67P
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