Facebook has once again taken a page from Snapchat and has introduced a new in-app camera with effects called Facebook Stories and a new Direct feature to its official app.Facebook has already brought similar features to its Messenger platform and now is looking to carry forward to its mainstream app.
Starting with the new in-app camera, the new feature will be availablestarting from this week on both iOS and Android platform. In order to access the new camera, one can tap on the camera icon on the top left corner of the Facebook App or swipe right from News Feed to open the in-app camera. The camera basically superimposes different filters, masks and frames to one’s photos and videos. One can also add filters to his/her video in real time, which is a tad similar to the feature used in Snapchat.
The company has also partnered with different brands to create masks for upcoming movies including Alien: Covenant, Despicable Me 3,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Power Rangers, Smurfs: The Lost VillageandWonder Woman. The company is also planning to introduce a new feature in the camera app through which users will be able to create their own frames and effects that can be used on any photo or video created with a Facebook camera.
Coming to Facebook Stories, just like Instagram Stories, which lets you share multiple photos and videos as part of a visual collection atop News Feed. In order to add a story, you need to tap on the “Your Story” icon in the Stories bar at the top of News Feed. Just like Snapchat Stories, the photos or videos can be viewed for 24 hours and would be erased after that. Facebook introduced a similar feature to WhatsApp, however, it had roll back amidst criticism from users around the globe.
Lastly, the social media giant has introduced a Direct feature as for sharing individual photos and videos with specific friends for a limited time. “When you send a photo or video via Direct, your friends will be able to view it once and replay it or write a reply. Once the conversation on the photo or video ends, the content is no longer visible in Direct,” Facebook said in a blog post.