Tags: #Digital Marketing  #Facebook F8  

Facebook F8 is an annual conference held by Facebook. The conference is intended for developers and entrepreneurs to help them build social apps as well as learn about Facebook’s new as well as the existing technologies.

Facebook F8 2019, held April 30 – May 1 confirmed one thing for sure, Facebook is prioritizing privacy more than ever. The whole world was scrutinizing Facebook over its privacy policies since the Cambridge Analytica Data controversy. It seems they will be making extra efforts to provide users with proper private experience. Zuckerberg himself announced six core principles Facebook will be embedding to their products: private interactions, encryption, reducing permanence, safety, interoperability, and secure data storage.

Perhaps, the biggest announcement from this conference was that soon you’ll be able to send messages to your friends across all three core Facebook messaging platforms. These three platforms include Whats App, Messenger and Instagram. The following are the major announcements that Facebook made in its conference.

 

1) Messenger

– A new feature called “Watch Together” where you will be able to enjoy videos together with your friends.
– Facebook will be launching a messenger desktop app for the first time later this year.
– They will also release a lightweight messenger app using an entirely new base code. This app will occupy only a third of your device’s memory compared to the current version.

 

2) Instagram

– Instagram’s camera is getting a much-needed upgrade, where you will no longer need to start with a photo or video while posting stories. You’ll soon see a new ‘Create’ tab inside the camera interface. You can then choose from the question, polling, text, or other sticker options.
– A new pilot Instagram is being launched in Canada this week. It will hide the number of likes received by photos and videos from public view. They are trying to shift focus from popularity to the quality of the content.

 

3) Facebook

– Facebook will be placing more importance on groups, introducing a new “Groups” tab. The tab will make it easier for the user to discover new groups and communities based on their interests.
– Based on this theme, Facebook is also currently working on the “Meet New Friends” feature, where users will be able to meet new friends from shared communities like a school workplace or city.

 

4) Whats App

– The major announcement for Whats App was the introduction of product catalogues in Whats App Business. A business will be able to show you all the products available to them privately and operate without a website in place.
– Zuckerberg also briefly talked about WhatsApp Payments. It is based on India’s UPI payments system and is being tested with 1 million users in India. Facebook plans to launch the payments feature to newer locations in the coming months.

 

5) Oculus

– The unveiling of “Oculus Rift S”, which is an upgrade to their existing VR headset that needs to be connected to a powerful gaming rig to operate. It has a higher resolution display, improved optics and a mixed reality experience via the camera on the front.
– Facebook also unveiled their new product “Oculus Quest”, which is supposed to address everything that is wrong with VR systems by cutting cords and placing sensors on the devices. You will be able to enjoy the VR experience much thoroughly without the cords to limit you.

 

The major announcements from the Facebook F8 conference seem to be related to privacy. Whats App has always been big on privacy and hence, not much major changes were announced for the Whats App platform. Facebook is trying to rebuild its reputation on the privacy front and this was definitely evident in this year’s conference. In addition to this, there were some very exciting features announced for this year. Facebook is ever growing and the updates they are bringing will continue to hook people into the platform and enable the growth of Facebook as a whole.