While Facebook has often been called out for trying to copy Snapchat’s video-sharing formula, the social media giant is always quick to point out that video content is the future of Internet and that it’s only looking for the best way to allow that transition. Earlier this year, the company started a massive Facebook Live Video push which users have accepted in a relatively positive manner. In addition to that, the Internet firm has also recently started experimenting with Messenger Day, a built-in Messenger feature which resembles Instagram Stories and Snapchat Stories. Today, a similar functionality debuted in the main Facebook app in Ireland.
The product doesn’t yet have a name and is only referred to as “the new camera.” It allows users to capture a photo or record a video, enhance their content with various filters, masks, and effects if they choose to do so, and share them with a select group of friends. Once shared, their friends can respond or react to posted content in 24 hours, or it will disappear from their newsfeed forever. Interestingly enough, this feature was primarily designed to allow people to share their precious moments with some, but not all of their Facebook friends. Following that concept, “the new camera” also ships with another inbox built into the main Facebook app. That inbox was included in order to separate comments to videos captured with this feature from other comments and reactions. In other words, this is basically Facebook Live Video designed to be used among a smaller circle of friends and whose content doesn’t stick around for long.
If all of this sounds familiar, it’s because Facebook has actually tested a similar feature back in early August. However, unlike that one, “the new camera” boasts more enhancement options and isn’t nearly as obtrusive. In fact, Irish users may not even be aware they have it. If you’re located in Ireland and your Facebook app was updated earlier today, open it and navigate to your Newsfeed. From there, just swipe to the right and you’ll be able to try it out. In any case, while Facebook’s previous attempts to deliver a service for sharing short and disappearing videos weren’t particularly successful, this new feature and Messenger Day could easily turn out much better because they’re offered within platforms which already have well over a billion users each.