Facebook launches its version of Snapchat lenses
Facebook is finally beginning to roll out its version of Snapchat's animated lenses.
The social network is now starting to add the feature to its live streaming service. The feature, called masks, will be available within Facebook's app as well as the Mentions app for verified users.
The feature allows you to add animated overlays to your live videos. The filters themselves are pretty similar to what you would find in MSQRD -- the face-tracking and 3D face-placement app that Facebook acquired in March.
Like Snapchat, Facebook will periodically swap out the masks for different styles. The initial set debuting now will include Halloween-themed masks.
It's not the first time the social network has experimented with the feature, though the update marks the first time the company has made such a feature broadly available in its main app. Facebook had previously tested similar overlays in its app in Brazil and had enabled live video sharing from MSQRD.
Masks are starting to roll out now to iOS users in the United States, UK and New Zealand and will hit Android "in the coming months." Facebook also plans to bring it to additional countries.
While the new feature shouldn't come as a surprise given Facebook's past experiments, it is yet another sign of the social network's increasing interest in adding "fun" ways to help users share in the moment (a la Snapchat) as it looks to bolster its video efforts -- particularly live video.
Masks aside, the company is also rolling out new "limited edition" Halloween-themed reactions to its app and website. The new reactions swap the standard "like," "love," "haha," "wow," "sad," and "angry" emoji for Halloween-themed icons like a ghost and pumpkin.
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Topics Facebook Snapchat Social Media
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
