Facebook has made new camera effects available on Messenger, including augmented reality stickers, a special mode for selfies, and the infamous Boomerang.
Boomerang is pretty much self-explanatory. A featured ported directly from Instagram, these are looping videos designed mostly for comedic effect, if not plain silliness. Messenger now supports Boomerang clips natively, which has been a longtime request from fans.
Selfie mode, on the other hand, is similar to the bokeh modes found on most flagship cameras, automatically blurring the background while keeping in you in focus. Facebook says it also provides "a little extra glow," which could just be its way of rephrasing "beautification."
Finally, new AR stickers are also now available, which can be placed on top of real-world photos and videos to make them a bit more dynamic and fun. For the uninitiated, AR lays special elements onscreen that make it seem they're actually interacting with the real world. AR stickers can be placed on pictures that are currently in the user's library, too. Some of the new stickers are holiday-themed.
"The holiday season is one of the most popular times of year for people to use Messenger to connect with friends and family," the company said in a blog post. "In fact, Christmas and New Years are the biggest days of the year for overall messages sent on Messenger!"
New Camera Effects On Facebook Messenger
These new effects bring Messenger's total camera modes to five: normal, video, text, Boomerang, and selfie. They come just a couple of months after Facebook rolled out a massively redesign that simplified Messenger's aesthetics and experience. The resulting app looks much cleaner now and far less cluttered than the previous iteration, which was beset with far too many confusing elements.
How Many People Use Camera Effects And Stickers?
More than 20 million people use camera effects on Messenger, according to Facebook, and over 440 million stickers are sent in chats each day. Adding new stickers and effects from time to time is vital to keep the service fresh, engaging, and dynamic.
These new camera effects are available to all users now. They will show up on both the newer version of Messenger and its older iteration. Messenger is available as a free download on iOS and Android.
Have you tried the new camera effects and stickers on Messenger? If you have any thoughts, feel free to sound them off in the comments section below!
