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Facebook will shut down its MSQRD selfie app
MSQRD, the Snapchat-like selfie app Facebook acquired in 2016, will soon be no more. The social network said it plans to shut down the augmented reality app on April 13, though its technology will live on in other Facebook-owned services. "MSQRD was fundamental to building early momentum for AR and providing insights to build the platform Facebook has today," the app wrote in an update on its Facebook page. "Our focus is now on delivering you the best-possible AR experiences through Spark AR, the platform that allows anyone to create their own AR effects and share them across the Facebook family."
Facebook Live will be able to stream Masquerade face swaps
Facebook Live is rolling out a handful of nice update these coming weeks, starting with the ability to broadcast straight from MSQRD (Masquerade). Fidji Simo, the social network's director of product, has announced at VidCon that you'll be able to choose the audience you want to show your face-swapping shenanigans to within the app itself. For instance, you could only make a video visible to close friends rather than to everyone. You'll also be able to choose your first mask before going live and to keep changing it throughout the show.
Create Facebook profile videos with Vine, Boomerang and more
Facebook flipped the switch on profile videos last fall, and now its allowing you to upload those short clips from third-party apps. The social network announced the Facebook Profile Expression Kit at F8, an SDK that will allow app developers to build in tools that allow users to set video creations as a moving profile image. There's already a handful of apps that support the profile videos during the initial beta phase, including MSQRD, Boomerang from Instagram and Vine. Once you make your video, you'll now have the option of setting it as your main Facebook profile visual with just a few taps.
Facebook nabs face-swapping app Masquerade to take on Snapchat
The face-swapping filter on Snapchat is getting plenty of use as of late, and Facebook is joining the fray as well. Zuckerberg & Co. bought the popular app Masquerade (MSQRD) that offers a similar feature. Masquerade's CEO Eugene Nevgen confirmed the move in a blog post, explaining that the company is going to "join forces with Facebook and bring the technology to even more people." Financial details weren't disclosed for the transaction that brings Facebook the technology to apply filters to videos.
