Like Instant articles, Facebook wants to make video viewing experience more accessible for users.
Facebook has really been pushing videos on its platform, from improving live to 360 degree video support for all. Just recently, it announced earmarking a one billion dollar budget for original programming. It even launched the dedicated Watch tab where you’ll be able to find all its programs. And now, Facebook has apparently started testing a feature that would make it easier to watch videos on the go. A TechCrunch report says Facebook has confirmed that it has given a small number of Android users access to an experimental feature called ‘Instant Videos’.
Essentially, the feature works by pre-loading videos while you’re connected to Wi-Fi, so that your data isn’t eaten up. The report further says that Facebook‘s goal behind this feature is to remove data costs as a barrier to watching its videos. This feature could be useful when a user is commuting or travelling to a place with poor or no network connection. TheNextWeb too shared a few screenshots of the feature, wherein we can see that Facebook marks the videos you can play without using up your data with a lightning icon.
Quite naturally, the Instant Video feature is reminder of Instant Articles, Facebook’s hosted content format that loads much faster than mobile websites so users don’t drop off waiting for a publisher’s articles to appear. Because videos load even slower than web pages, publishers might be keen to get involved to ensure maximum viewability for their clips.
However, while there is that similarity, Instant Article and Instant Videos will share their own differences too. While Instant Articles mostly focus on the speed and convenience of reading news on the platform, Instant Video focuses on the cost and accessibility. The way the feature sounds, it could be major boon for users in India.
Besides the Instant Videos, Facebook is said to be testing another feature for mentorships between users. This test feature is essentially Facebook’s next step in the direction of LinkedIn’s territory. After Facebook recently launched LinkedIn-like Jobs within the platform, another TechCrunch report suggests that Facebook is testing a way to use its social network to link up users who are looking for mentorship, either as mentors or menses.
The original article appeared on BGR India
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