Skip to main content

Facebook celebrates 2016 by showing off its best hackathon-developed products

facebook best hackathon products 2016 1 hacker way
Image used with permission by copyright holder
2016 was a year of innovation for Facebook, and to celebrate, the company has named some of its favorite projects and products that came from its hackathons at its offices around the world during the year.

Among the items on the list are a richer and more detailed Safety Check, “adaptive attachments,” and instant verification for Android — all in all, Facebook’s 2016 was a pretty productive one.

Perhaps the coolest feature developed during the year is Instant Verification on Android, which works through Facebook’s Account Kit. In days past, to verify an app, that app would have had to send you a verification code via SMS, after which you would need to check that code and enter it into the Facebook app. The new feature allows other apps to use Facebook data to verify a phone number, getting rid of the extra SMS steps.

Next up is a better, richer Safety Check. Safety Check was itself developed at a hackathon, but the new version makes it even easier for people to tell friends and family that they’re safe in an emergency. How does it do that? Well, it basically enables extra context through images and calls to action, which can be embedded within notifications. Another extra module within Safety Check allows users to get access to information like where to find shelter, food, water, and even first aid.

Last but not least are “adaptive attachments,” an innovation created at a hackathon in New York, which basically gives users a new way to upload photos to shared albums, create a crowdsourced video, and even play multiplayer games, all only by commenting on a post.

Of course, hackathons aren’t unique to 2016, so we can expect some more innovative products to come from hackathons in 2017, too.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Bluesky barrels toward 1 million new sign-ups in a day
Bluesky social media app logo.

Social media app Bluesky has picked nearly a million new users just a day after exiting its invitation-only beta and opening to everyone.

In a post on its main rival -- X (formerly Twitter) -- Bluesky shared a chart showing a sudden boost in usage on the app, which can now be downloaded for free for iPhone and Android devices.

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more