Facebook's Messenger gets AR effects, including mossy beards, in video calls
Ever wish you had a green, mossy beard in your Messenger video calls? If so, Facebook heard you loud and clear.
On Thursday, the company announced a new Messenger feature, allowing users to add augmented reality effects to their video calls.
Group Effects include such fun masks and animations as green beards, cat tails, and a game of "put together a sandwich out of falling food by moving your head left and right." Facebook says there will be a total of 70 Group Effects to choose from, including games.
To try out some of the effects, open Messenger, start a video call or create a room, tap the smiley face, and select Group Effects.
The most important part of the announcement, Facebook says, is that this is the first time that Group Effects work in a shared, video calling experience. Facebook has recently been talking a lot about the metaverse and shared online experiences, and this is another way to suck us all into the company's virtual world.
Facebook also plans to expand access to the new Spark AR Multipeer API at the end of this month, allowing more developers to build Group Effects.
New Group Effects are available on Messenger video calls and Messenger Rooms now. It will be coming to Instagram "soon," says Facebook.
Related video: Facebook might be changing its name to emphasize the metaverse
Topics Facebook Social Media
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
