“The only constant changes,” Greek philosopher Heraclitus has famously mentioned. We can’t show it, however, we’re fairly positive he was talking about Facebook updates.
Generally its modifications delight (see: the introduction of Messenger). Typically they trigger mass outrage. However, one thing’s for sure: Facebook never rests on its laurels.
There’s always something new within the works, which is to say there are always new alternatives to your brand to get ahead of its competitors.
It’s why we’ll be maintaining this page updated regularly, spotlighting top Facebook updates each month in 2020. Make sure to check again usually (and maybe even bookmark this page?).
Top Facebook updates you have to know in 2020
July 2020 Facebook updates
Taking action with anti-hate measures
Responding to feedback from the civil rights community, Facebook is making modifications to policy and communications to reflect more transparent—and hopefully more simply—programs.
As a part of this, Facebook has participated in a civil rights audit and launched a Diversity Report.
They’ve additionally expanded their voter suppression policies so that any advertisements interfering or intimidating voters might be prohibited and launched a robust census interference policy.
Facebook is also promising to go “above and beyond” present hate speech protections with more particular anti-hate advert bans.
Check out the full scope of Facebook’s ongoing anti-hate measures here.
Expanded markets for Instagram Shop and Facebook Pay launch
On the heels of May’s Facebook Shops launch, businesses in supported markets (check out the full list here) can now promote merchandise directly via Instagram with Instagram Shop.
Integrate your pre-existing e-commerce platform, or create a catalog within Facebook Business Manager. When you’ve got your merchandise linked to your Insta account, submit your shop for overview and await the thumbs up.
Once you’ve enabled the shopping feature, you should use Shopping Tags or stickers to spotlight your items in your feed or Stories. Let the shopping sprees start.
Find full details on setting up your shop here.
Source: Facebook
New emoji upgrades in Messenger
In honor of World Emoji Day (July 17), Messenger gave its default sticker pack (Moodies) a makeover.
The little faces you know and love—the cool one, the barfing one, the entire gang—have a sleek new look and bubbly animated prospers.
Is it one of the top big Facebook updates in 2020? No. However, it’s a cute one.
Source: Facebook
App Lock for Facebook Messenger
To maintain your group chats secure and safe, Facebook is rolling out the choice to add one other layer of safety with fingerprint or face authentication through App Lock.
When App Lock is on, Messenger seems illegible—with kind of a frosty overlay—till you utilize your face or fingerprint to unlock.
This provides a level of confidence that when your brother is scrolling via your phone to select a sweet road trip song, he won’t get a glimpse of the messages your sister despatched you complaining about him.
It’s a feature that’s obtainable now for iOS customers and ought to be coming to Android this fall.
Source: Facebook
Screen sharing now available in Messenger mobile app
In a time of social distancing, we’ve never been more grateful for technology to maintain us closer. Besides, with so many video chat apps obtainable at our fingertips proper now, everyone is racing to supply the best methods to connect.
It’s why Facebook has just added a “Share Your Screen” choice to its Messenger mobile and web apps.
Now, formally side-by-side actions could be translated to the screen as you retain chatting. Browse an online retailer together, scroll via recipe choices, or look back on journey images from these glory days once we could, you know, leave the house.
Screen sharing is available with the latest update of the app.
Source: Facebook
Select your layout for posts with multiple photos
Next time you add a batch of images, you may be given the choice to decide on their layout, as Facebook slowly rolls out new photo post choices.
The platform has been testing this visual tool since October, nevertheless, it looks like this new composer performance is being unrolled en masse at this point.
That being said, it doesn’t seem to have popped up for Pages users (yet!), so you might need to avoid wasting your layout creativity for your private account for now.
Create custom audiences out of or previous customers
In Facebook’s Ad Manager, now you can target adverts particularly to individuals who have perused or shopped your merchandise.
Click on the “Custom Audience” choice and you’ll now see a “Shopping” category. Under this, you’ll discover people who viewed your merchandise, individuals who added merchandise to their basket, or people who made a purchase order.
With this info in hand, you possibly can target the viewers of consumers who’re probably to follow via or return to your page and ramp up that engagement.
Source: Facebook
Make live-broadcast video calls with up to 50 participants
Got a group video call you need the world to see? Facebook’s on the case. By combining its Messenger Rooms video chat capabilities with its live stream services, customers can now broadcast video calls with up to 50 members.
Consider it as a combo of video chats and live streams, and it’s clear the possibilities for a brand are fairly intriguing. It might imply interesting alternatives for TV present reunions, networking, live interactive tutorials or courses, and beyond.
These calls could be broadcast from a personal profile, on a Facebook Page, or within a Group. The creator of the decision can admit or block participants, or lock calls altogether.
Zoom’s already shaking in its boots: when Messenger Rooms was launched in April, shares fell by 5%, so who knows what this expanded functionality would possibly do to the video conferencing brand.
Source: Facebook
June 2020 Facebook updates
Financial support for gamers
In a try to lure gamers over from Twitch and Youtube, Facebook is increasing its streaming subscription choices.
Fans can now assist gamers with suggestions and donations as they live stream, and gamers can access in-stream advert breaks as properly. These adverts could be pre-roll, mid-roll, or a picture below the stream.
Any streamers who see at least 250 common weekly viewers will be able to register with the Level Up program to access these options (and the sweet paydays that come with them).
Learn more about these fan subscriptions and Level Up here.
Source: Facebook
Facebook Collections are now sharable (in the U.S., at least)
The Collections feature on Facebook permits users to archive links, images, pages, and posts for accessing later. This month, Facebook introduced a new sharing functionality that permits these lists to be made public… which could simply supply some interesting alternatives for business partnerships. (Although unfortunately, it’s a feature that’s solely available in the U.S. market right now.)
Lookout, Pinterest. Influencers might construct sponsored lists to share with followers (”My Favourite Mexico City Restaurants”) or corporations might share on-brand content (like “Best Cocktail Recipes” for a vodka company).
Perhaps our first list ought to be an inventory of how useful lists will be?
Privacy setting makes CCPA compliance much easier
Any enterprise promoting to California-based clients might be already conscious of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CPPA), which grants residents the right to control their private data.
Facebook’s new “Limited Data Use” feature makes compliance with the CPPA pretty simple. Enabling this feature permits companies to send data to Facebook to limit how Facebook actually uses that data.
When it’s utilized, Facebook will technically act as a business’s service supplier whereas processing details about California clients, keeping in line with the state’s distinctive privacy laws—and protecting both your business and client data secure.
New email marketing tools now available for small companies
A small variety of small companies are testing out Facebook’s new e-mail marketing tools.
When you’re one of the fortunate few plucked from obscurity to be an FB guinea pig, you’ll be able to ship group emails and track performance, all within the Facebook platform.
Upload subscribers’ contact info (with permission, of course) and then tweak your viewers’ demographics and customize your design.
If the test runs show to be useful to businesses, we would see the choice rolled out further… however, with so many other marketing email options out there, it’s not sure this tool will stand the test of time.
Facebook to warn if an article is over 90 days old
In one other attempt to combat fake or out-of-date news, Facebook has introduced a new pop-up feature to alert users if a story is over three months old.
The objective is to highlight the timeliness (or fairly, the lack thereof) of news sources to attempt to tamp down on out-of-context stories which may muddy the understanding of present occasions.
The context button Facebook added in 2018 may not have done a lot to quell the spread of hoaxes, however here’s hoping this addition has an effect.
Source: Facebook