Facebook Launches App on Apple TV, Other Platforms
Facebook has made updates to how users experience video content as it doubles down on efforts to improve video viewing within the social network.
One of the changes is adding sound to videos in News Feed on mobile, which means videos will autoplay unless your smartphone is on silent mode or you have the setting manually disabled.
“After testing sound on in News Feed and hearing positive feedback, we’re slowly bringing it to more people,” said Dana Sittler, Product Manager. “With this update, sound fades in and out as you scroll through videos in News Feed, bringing those videos to life.”
Other updates include a larger preview of vertical videos in News Feed on mobile and the ability to minimize the video you’re watching to a picture-in-picture view that keeps playing in the corner of your screen while you browse other stories in News Feed.
But perhaps the biggest update is the launch of a new Facebook app for television, including Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
“Our video app for TV is a new way to enjoy Facebook videos on a bigger screen,” said Alex Li, Engineering Manager. “With the app, you can watch videos shared by friends or Pages you follow, top live videos from around the world, and recommended videos based on your interests.”
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