Mark Zuckerberg presented the major redesign of Facebook for iOS and the web at the F8 developer conference. Facebook Messenger is also set to be improved. Instagram is also getting a new creation mode.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other company executives took the opportunity today at the F8 developer conference to talk about the future of the social network. The most interesting point of this presentation was the brand new user interface of the iOS and web version of Facebook. In addition to new functions and changes to Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram, the world-famous logo has also been revised.
Facebook Messenger
Zuckerberg opened the F8 keynote and reiterated the company's new goals in terms of security, data protection, encryption and more. He reiterated that the company believes that "the future is private." Messenger will be the company's first product to benefit from the new goals. Facebook also wants to make Messenger the fastest messaging service in the world. Zuckerberg confirmed the previously leaked news that Messenger will be available on Mac and Windows. The new app will also have a dark mode on macOS. An exact release date was not given. Furthermore, the service will finally have end-to-end encryption - like WhatsApp did some time ago. An expansion of the user interface within the Messenger app is also planned. Here, users will see content from people they follow on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in a separate section called "Friends". Zuckerberg emphasized that all content from companies and public figures will not be listed in this area. The "Watch Together" function will also be included in Messenger.
Facebook 5 and Facebook Groups
Another highlight of the keynote was the unveiling of Facebook 5. The new interface will be much simpler and will lose most of the blue design on both mobile and desktop. Navigation will also be much easier - the top tab bar has also been updated. Among the many new features, the logo has also been redesigned in Facebook 5 - it now looks much more dynamic. In addition to Facebook's efforts to set a new course for security, data protection and an overall more user-friendly platform, there will be a greater focus on groups - these will be found in the top tab bar in the future.
The company has also made changes to Instagram. In the future, users will be able to create a new post without having to start with a photo or video. The feature is called "Creation Mode" and allows users to start with just text, a poll, and more. On the business level, Instagram is expanding the way shopping works on the platform. Business users will now be able to link their products directly in posts. Another new feature is donation stickers. These can be pinned directly to posts with the new update. Finally, Zuckerberg discussed products such as the Oculus Quest VR headset. Facebook 5 is set to be rolled out starting today - exact details were not given. It is assumed that developers will be the first to benefit from the new version.