Facebook debuts live streaming and Collage features on iOS, forgets all about Android

Earlier today Facebook announced a new feature coming soon to their mobile apps: live streaming. They’re calling it Live Video, but it’s the same live video streaming that made apps like Periscope and Meerkat all the rage a few months back. Previously only available to celebrity accounts, now anyone can live stream their lives, whether it’s the mundane or the exciting.

Posted by Facebook on Wednesday, December 2, 2015

It works much the same way as other apps, with a new icon appearing the a bottom of a status update. Select it, and you’ll see a viewfinder of what you’ll be broadcasting and to whom (your friends, public, or specific groups). Once you “Go Live,” people you’ve chosen can comment in real time with their messages appearing at the bottom of your stream.

When the Live Video has wrapped up, it’ll be saved to your Facebook Timeline for later viewing. There’s even a subscribe button to get notified whenever someone’s feed goes live (probably better suited for celebrities or close friends/family). Unfortunately, Facebook’s Live Video feature is only available starting today for a small set of iPhone users, with no word on when we can expect a wider Android launch, But they did announce something else…

Also headed to their app is a handy new Collage feature. Because chances are you want to share more than just 1 photo of an event or outing, going through your “Camera Roll” (read: Gallery) and picking them out 1-by-1 can be tedious. With Collage, Facebook organizes recent photos and videos from your gallery based on where they were shot.

Posted by Facebook on Wednesday, December 2, 2015

These “moments” can be easily edited so you only share what you’d like, and you can rearrange them according to your tastes. Once finished, you simply add a title and share to your Timeline for easy viewing. Similar to Live Video, Collages will begin rolling out to iPhones starting today, but it will eventually come to Android sometime early next year. I guess it’s better than nothing.

Facebook also revealed that they’re piloting a new design for status updates on iOS and Android. After tapping “What’s on your mind,” at the top of your news feed, a drop down will appear with various options to share. Facebook says this will make it easier to add new options in future updates and should make for a cleaner UI all around.

[Facebook]