Facebook 360 VR Camera is Now Available for Mobile Devices

GIFs, colored text backgrounds, live videos and now with 360 degree photos, Facebook continues to amuse its users with new features.

Starting today, Android and iOS users will be able to capture virtual reality (VR) photos on their phones using the Facebook mobile app.

Facebook product manager Andy Huang says,

Along with 360 photos from your friends and family, you can discover stunning new 360 photos on Facebook from public figures, publishers, and other organizations. 360 photos give you the ability to take the stage in front of 100,000 fans with Paul McCartney, get behind-the-scenes access to the Supreme Court via The New York Times, visit the International Space Station with NASA, and more.

How it Works

Facebook’s VR camera allows you to capture 360 degree photos without the need of a special camera, or a third party app.

 

The picture can then be tagged, used as your cover photo or shared on the news feed.

Although Facebook supports VR photos and videos, using the new feature you can only capture 360 degree photos.

To capture 360 degree videos, on other hand, you will need a camera like Samsung Gear 360, Insta360 etc.

How to use the new feature:

• Open the Facebook app and use the drop down menu that appears right next to the “what’s on your mind?” text box.
• Select 360 degree photo from the options.
• Place yourself at the centre of the scene you want to capture.
• Then press the blue button and follow the path, to capture a 360 degree panorama.
• Once done, you can pick the starting point for your photo and publish it.
• The picture can then be viewed by clicking or dragging the image to explore the complete environment, or by simply moving their smartphone around.

First Update to Cover Photos Since 2011

This is the first advancement Facebook has made to its cover photos since it was officially introduced in 2011.

You can use any 360 photo as your cover photo after the update.

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