About the new Facebook Stories and Live location in Messenger

29/03/2017 Sandi

Facebook’s Product Manager, Connor Hayes, shared the company’s new features, announcing an in-app camera that allows users to take pictures that can be filtered or have reactive effects added to them. Snapchat definitely has competition.

He also said Facebook will work with movies like Despicable Me 3, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Power Rangers, Smurfs: The Lost Village and Wonder Woman to create masks that users can add to their selfies.

Masks for Power Rangers (middle), Smurfs: The Lost Village (left) and Wonder Woman (right)

Hayes also introduced us to Facebook Stories that allows users to take photos or videos that will be available for viewing for 24hrs before they disappear from atop the news feed timeline. Stories won’t appear on your newsfeed or timeline unless you share them there too. To add to your story, tap on the “Your Story” icon in the Stories bar at the top of News Feed.

Users can also send these photos or videos to specific Facebook friends through Direct, allowing friends to see the content for a limited time. They can replay it once or reply to the message, but once the conversation has ended the picture/video disappears.

‘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. 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.’ – Connor Hayes, Facebook Product Manager

Another feature launched by Facebook for Messenger is Live Location.

Selena Wang, Messenger’s Product Manager, explains how it works:

To share your Live Location in a message on iOS, tap the Location icon or tap the More icon and then select Location.
With today’s update, you’ll see a map of your current location and the option to tap a blue bar to share your Live Location.
If you choose to share your Live Location, the person or people you share it with will be able to see where you are on a map for the next 60 minutes.
You’ll be able to see an estimate of how long it would take to get to others’ locations by car. (The ETA is seen by the person with whom the location is shared.)
You can stop sharing your Live Location at any time; just tap Stop Sharing.
A small clock in the lower right hand corner of the map will also let you know how much longer you’re sharing your location for.

For Android, tap the Location icon or tap the More icon and then select Location.
You’ll see a map of your current location and the option to tap a blue bar to share your Live Location for 60 minutes. Just like on iOS, you’ll have the option to stop sharing your Live Location by tapping Stop Sharing, and you’ll see how much longer you’re sharing your Live Location for via a small count down clock in the lower right hand corner of the map.

‘It’s still possible to share a static point on a map, too. For example, if you want to tell a friend which coffee shop to meet you at, tap the location pin or the More icon, and then instead of choosing Share Live Location, tap the red pin in the upper right hand corner. From there, you can search for a place to share, or you can drag and drop the pin on the map. Then, tap Send.’ – Selena Wang, Product Manager – Messenger