Facebook Developing Standalone Camera and Live Video App

[MacRumors]

Social networking site Facebook is developing a new standalone camera app aimed at encouraging Facebook users to share more photos and videos, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Developed by a Facebook team in London, the app reportedly opens directly to a camera much like Snapchat, giving users a way to quickly capture photos and videos. Another feature planned for the device is the ability to live stream video, mimicking existing apps like Meerkat and Periscope. In recent months, Facebook has been making a strong push into live video.

The app may be designed to combat a growing decline in the number of photos and videos Facebook users are sharing as focus has shifted towards articles and away from original content. Market research conducted by GlobalWebIndex suggests 37 percent of Facebook users uploaded or shared their own photos in 1Q 2016, down from 46 percent in 1Q 2015.

Other methods Facebook is using to encourage the sharing of original content include news feed prompts based based on interests and location, an "On This Day" feature for sharing past posts, and an option to post pre-made collages taken from a user's Facebook photo repository.

According to sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, Facebook's camera project remains in the early stages and could potentially never see a release should it be shelved.

Article Link: Facebook Developing Standalone Camera and Live Video App

 

[garylapointe]

I'm not sure if I'd rather stream live on Facebook or Youtube....

If I've got people following me on both, I'd want an app that could do both...

Gary

 

[captain cadet]

Facebook, what was wrong when we had just one app? That was perfect! I dont want a folder just for Facebook

 

[555gallardo]

Does Facebook have a fetish in making useless apps?

 

[garirry]

They have so much money they just make everything that's possible in this world

 

[freepomme]

This is not a good idea.

Facebook already has a separate app just to read a message. Facebook on Safari doesn't allow you to upload videos. So that's 3 apps I have to switch between. And now they want to add 2 more to the mix?

Facebook apps are going to be deleted from my phone because it's taking up too much resources.

They need to stop. They need to put everything back into 1 app.

 

[ck2875]

Holy Déjà vu, Batman.

https://www.macrumors.com/2012/05/2...-app-dedicated-to-posting-and-sharing-photos/

 

[Capeto]

Wasn't that the whole point of buying Instagram?

 

[logicstudiouser]

STOP! No more apps! Time to consolidate.

 

[WordsmithMR]

Yea... I was 100% sure they bought Instagram like 4+ years ago?.. But then this news made me question if I was mistaken... But I did a quick search, and I was right. They spent $1B on it. Must be nice to spend that kind of money... Only to clone it and make a duplicate app by spending even more money.

 

[macsba]

I think the reason why facebook is creating all these little apps is because they can write off the research and development costs on the corporate taxes they pay.

Or they must want to populate ones iDevice full of facebook apps to crowd out others.

 

[Zorn]

Facebook has fast become the technology thing I dread using the most. It's just plain awful, slow, ridden with "sponsored" ****, and they keep insisting I load 10 different apps of theirs for simple functions.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Next they'll bring out a separate app just so you can post a status.

 

[routine_analyst]

They already had a camera app though... and killed it once they bought Instagram.

 

[Jimmy James]

How about a standalone upload app for pictures taken with the standalone camera app. I'd like to provide my comments with a standalone response app and read replies with a standalone reader app.

 

[bigchrisfgb]

No, I'm very close to deleting Facebook. It's just no longer worth it, it's gone from interesting stuff on there and keeping in touch with people who live away from you to now just being a platform that sends you 'Each share equals 1 prayer' and updates on the family fued going on with your fitness friends sister in laws friend who isn't even on your friends list.

 

[blasto2236]

They already did this, and it failed! I don't know if the app was eventually pulled from the store or can be downloaded for new users, but I definitely have it in my purchase history. It was awful. Why they think its time to revisit that failure just because there's some mild interest in live streaming, I do not understand.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

That's be surprising. Facebook has struggled with adoption of their standalone apps and has since moved to bring things back to the main app and Messager. Their previous camera app and others never saw great usage and because of that they killed them off.
[doublepost=1461631884][/doublepost]

No, I'm very close to deleting Facebook. It's just no longer worth it, it's gone from interesting stuff on there and keeping in touch with people who live away from you to now just being a platform that sends you 'Each share equals 1 prayer' and updates on the family fued going on with your fitness friends sister in laws friend who isn't even on your friends list.

Sounds like your problem is more the people you're friends with than Facebook itself. I see and have awesome interactions with my friends on a daily basis. We share interesting articles, have great conversations, keep track of where and what we're doing, and get all kinds of value out of the site.

It's all about who you're friends with and who you choose to interact with. 'Like' a bunch of baby pictures and you'll be seeing plenty of baby pictures in the future. Engage others in good conversation and chances are you'll be involved in more soon.

 

[Junior117]

...

... didn't they already do this with that Facebook Camera in (I think) 2013?

Don't they already have Instagram for this thing?

 

[BJMRamage]

I deleted the Facebook app a few weeks back. I was tired of the app not responding or refreshing as I was reading a post or showing New Updates but actually showing me days old posts I had never seen.

I use Facebook/Safari home screen button thingie. I can message and a bunch of stuff and somethings you can't do and I don't get notifications but the bright side is I don't get on Facebook as much either.

That's win:win for me.

 

[Pakaku]

No, this isn't creepy at all.

 

[bigchrisfgb]

Sounds like your problem is more the people you're friends with than Facebook itself. I see and have awesome interactions with my friends on a daily basis. We share interesting articles, have great conversations, keep track of where and what we're doing, and get all kinds of value out of the site.

It's all about who you're friends with and who you choose to interact with. 'Like' a bunch of baby pictures and you'll be seeing plenty of baby pictures in the future. Engage others in good conversation and chances are you'll be involved in more soon.

Not at all. Facebook used to be like that but now as I have said we have a situation where you actually see what's happening with friends of friends. There is no need for it, also Facebook is getting more intrusive. I can't open my app anymore without it wanting asking if I want to upload all the pictures and videos I have taken since I was last on, any event happens and it's wanting me to make a status, it's trying to get me to share that I have been friends with such and such for so long, 5 years ago today I posted this do I want to remind people? Any terror attack happens and it's wanting me to change my profile picture, then there is the endless adds. If it isn't spam bots using people's accounts to make posts that are adverts then it's the official adverts. The whole website is too much now and overbearing. There is a classic tale with Facebook, no one wants it but everyone has it because everyone else has it.

 

[adib]

I'm not sure if I'd rather stream live on Facebook or Youtube....

If I've got people following me on both, I'd want an app that could do both...

Gary

Use two phones to stream to each, then you've got stereoscopic streaming
[doublepost=1461639502][/doublepost]

This is not a good idea.

Facebook already has a separate app just to read a message. Facebook on Safari doesn't allow you to upload videos. So that's 3 apps I have to switch between. And now they want to add 2 more to the mix?

Facebook apps are going to be deleted from my phone because it's taking up too much resources.

They need to stop. They need to put everything back into 1 app.

Not really. Would you like one app that's three times bigger and three times harder to use? Otherwise maybe just two apps, each 1/3 of the size – and don't install the third app since you don't use it.

 

[freepomme]

Use two phones to stream to each, then you've got stereoscopic streaming
[doublepost=1461639502][/doublepost]

Not really. Would you like one app that's three times bigger and three times harder to use? Otherwise maybe just two apps, each 1/3 of the size – and don't install the third app since you don't use it.

YES. I WANT ONE BIG APP THATS THREE TIMES HARDER TO USE.

As long as it's ONE app.

1 app is fixable.

Everybody else is doing 1 app.

1 app works.

1 app makes me happy.

I don't like flipping from app to app to app.

Back to back to back.

None of the other 59 apps on my iPhone make me go back and forth and back and forth between different apps to do different stuff.

It's stupidity.

I spent 3 hours last night on the Safari Facebook mobile version, which they purposely disabled having a desktop version so that you could only browse the mobile version and when you go to upload a video it says you can only upload a video in the main app.

And you know the crazy thing? All of their different apps have different problems. If the message app has connectivity issues then where do you go? The Facebook app but you can't message in the Facebook app, even though you used to be able to message in the Facebook app so now you have to go back to Safari. But the mobile web version of Facebook is undergoing some changes.

It's out of control.

And for that, I have Facebook on a leash. A very very tight leash strapped to their neck, boot to neck. I keep an eye out for what I allow Facebook to access in regards to third party services. I make sure my location is turned off, I don't give Facebook certain permissions. I watch who I follow. I watch who's notification I get. Who I befriend. What settings I turn off or on. And how much information I give out, which is nothing. Don't trust Facebook. I use Facebook very rarely.

We live in a world where we do not need Facebook. I don't have a problem with deleting the Facebook messaging app because I could just open messages. Twitter. Line. Snapchat. Kik. KakaoTalk.

Facebook can go lay down with Myspace and go where MySpace went.

And I'll keep deleting any crap app(s) they make. It's mobile web or nothing.

I didn't find the actual Facebook app to be particularly useful. It's rather slow. That reminds me to delete the Facebook messenger app that sits there collecting dust. And didn't Facebook just do a press release that they had to roll out an update for one of their apps draining people's iPhone battery because of something playing in the background just the other day? It is completely comical how the media did not call Facebook to task for activating the microphone 24/7 monitoring everyone. That wasn't a mistake. That's exactly what they said the NSA was going to do and I'm convinced they're still doing it.

Let me delete all these Facebook apps. They're literally trying to break your phone, and waste your time. Companies that block their own users shan't be surprised when they begin to spot a decline.

Facebook ain't too big to go. Mark Zuckerburg better take the money and run.

 

[5105973]

Not at all. Facebook used to be like that but now as I have said we have a situation where you actually see what's happening with friends of friends. There is no need for it, also Facebook is getting more intrusive. I can't open my app anymore without it wanting asking if I want to upload all the pictures and videos I have taken since I was last on, any event happens and it's wanting me to make a status, it's trying to get me to share that I have been friends with such and such for so long, 5 years ago today I posted this do I want to remind people? Any terror attack happens and it's wanting me to change my profile picture, then there is the endless adds. If it isn't spam bots using people's accounts to make posts that are adverts then it's the official adverts. The whole website is too much now and overbearing. There is a classic tale with Facebook, no one wants it but everyone has it because everyone else has it.

This.

You've stated exactly what has gone sour about FB for me.

Plus there are now these weird posts that sound like they're written by the person posting them, and you think "Oh my God, I didn't know Sam is suicidal/has cancer/has hemmorhoids" and you get to the end of the spiel and you see it's some chain mail style crap that you're now being emotionally blackmailed to post to your status.

Thank goodness I can't seem to get copy and paste to work between my iPhone and the app anymore. That ends that social obligation. I actually had to make a post explaining that I can't and won't copy and paste these things but that didn't mean I lacked sympathy for whatever cause my loved ones believe in.

Now there are all these memes with abused animals and children with horrible illnesses and they have the command "Don't scroll past without typing Amen". And sure as sheep everybody goes and types Amen and I am that heartless heathen who never types amen. Who makes these things? I want to find them and b-slap them until I get an "amen".

Don't get me started on all the Go-fund-me things. I don't mind some. We've raised a lot of money for pediatric cancer programs. But now there are go-fund-me's for baby showers of friends of friends of friends. WTH?

And now FB is trying to coerce me into trusting it with my iPhone camera? No. Go away you evil troll. Die FB, die. I hope something better rises from your ashes. Don't scroll past this TLDR rant without typing "Amen" or you're a heartless person with no morals!