Skip to main content

Facebook is testing a new video tab with categories on Android devices

Facebook LIve
Facebook is really, really serious about video. We have been seeing the headlines for some time as the social media giant continues to trot out new features and make investments in original programming and server hardware to handle more visual content. So it shouldn’t come as a major surprise that Facebook is testing further enhancements to the video tab in its iOS and Android app.

The changes, spotted by The Next Web, are not visible to all users yet and may receive further alterations before widespread release. It is not a monumental update — there is now a categories menu above the main feed, filled with colorful icons that help you drill down to find the kind of content you are looking for. But it is a useful addition that should flesh out the section of the app. Formerly, the tab was just a never-ending stream of videos lacking any organization.

It’s important to note that in recent months, Facebook has distanced itself from exclusively serving live video. This was a change foretold by The Wall Street Journal in March and the current iteration of the tab provides the same kind of content you expect to see in YouTube suggestions.

With such a rapid expansion in the types of videos users will encounter, it makes sense that Facebook would add a category view to filter a much larger stream of media. There are videos from pages you follow, pages your friends follow, and videos based on your interests — without chronological order. Although there is a propensity to suggest new content, the app on one of our devices brought up videos from as far back as seven months ago.

Still, do not take that to mean Facebook is leaving behind live content entirely. Just a couple weeks ago, the company added closed captioning to its Live API, which translates audio into text on the fly. Meanwhile, Facebook has reported its users are watching four times the amount of live video as they did last summer. All these efforts will become even more critical as the social network doubles down on video ads, like mid-roll breaks.

Editors' Recommendations

Adam Ismail
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Adam’s obsession with tech began at a young age, with a Sega Dreamcast – and he’s been hooked ever since. Previously…
These 80+ apps could be running adware on your iPhone or Android device
Illustration of an infected iPhone

Cybersecurity company Human has uncovered another adware campaign engaging in ad fraud that is targeting iOS and Android devices. In the simplest terms, ad fraud allows a bad actor to either visibly spam an app with ads, or to manipulate the code in such a way that the ads are invisible to the user while the bad actor extracts advertising money from a marketer.

In each iteration, it’s fraudulent. Ad fraud has been widespread in the industry for a while, and the latest investigation uncovered a cache of over 75 Android apps listed in the Google Play Store and nearly a dozen apps on Apple’s App Store that are engaged in various forms of ad fraud.

Read more
The best ad-blocking apps for Android in 2022
ad blocker feat image

No one likes ads -- pop-up or otherwise -- intruding on their online experience of reading or video viewing, but ads are everywhere on the internet. One of the best ways to shield yourself from them is to install ad-blocker software that detects and disables annoying videos, graphics, and text ads that appear on your Android device while using apps or browsing websites.

Ad-blocking is controversial, which is why Google has removed specific ad-blocking apps from the Play Store. Google's business model is built on ads, so the issue goes beyond the relative quality of ads. Ads are a financial lifeline for many sites -- the difference between running a site and shutting it down. Installing an ad-blocker app on your Android device means you are likely affecting the livelihood of those who run the sites you enjoy, so try to be selective.

Read more
WhatsApp is copying two of Zoom’s best video-calling features
Call Links by WhatsApp

WhatsApp is taking a couple of pages out of Zoom's playbook. The Meta-owned company is rolling out the Call Links feature, making it easier for people to join audio and video calls with just one tap on the phone screen.

Mark Zuckerberg announced the new feature in a Facebook post on Monday morning. Starting this week, WhatsApp users will be able to tap the Call Links option within the Calls tab and create a link for audio or video calls to send to their friends and family, who will then tap on the link and join the call from there.

Read more