Earlier this year, Facebook Inc. introduced Stories and its full-screen Camera feature into its main messaging app. Now, despite the feature’s not enjoying the same popularity as Instagram Stories, the company is rolling out new updates to Facebook Camera, which it hopes will attract more users.

Both Facebook Stories and Instagram Stories, which has already attracted 250 million daily users since launching a year ago, include many features similar to Snapchat’s own Stories feature. Facebook hasn’t revealed how many people use its Stories or Camera features in the main messaging app.  

Facebook Stories allows users to share photos and videos to show what’s happening in their day, which all disappear after 24 hours. The latest update for Facebook Camera includes the ability to go live, shoot two-second animated GIFs and share full-screen text posts.

Facebook also announced Tuesday a redesign of its app’s News Feed to make it easier to read and navigate.

Facebook Stories update

To get access to the latest Facebook Camera updates, update your iOS or Android Facebook app.

Go live

To go live from Facebook Camera, open the Facebook app and either tap the camera icon or swipe right from your News Feed.

In Facebook Camera, select the Live option at the bottom > add a description > tap Post & Story > tap the red video recorder icon. You can then add a variety of filters during your live video.

Create GIFs

The Facebook Camera now also allows you to create GIFs, a feature that Facebook started testing last month. Once again swipe right from the News Feed or tap the camera icon > tap the button in the top right of the screen and you can create your two-second GIF. You can also add a variety of different filters and frames, just like in the live option.

Text updates

Facebook Camera has also introduced the ability to create full-screen text updates with colored backgrounds that you can share to your Story, direct to friends and family or to your News Feed. Facebook already allowed colored background text updates for normal status updates through the traditional composer.

Facebook redesign

Facebook has received a redesign to make it less cluttered and easier to navigate. The updates include improved readability on News Feed, a new comment style and easier navigation.

Comment style

Facebook has updated the comment style in its app with the bubble style found in its Messenger app.

Navigation and feedback buttons

All of Facebook’s navigation and feedback buttons, including News Feed, Video, Marketplace, Like, Comment and Share buttons, have been redesigned with a new unfilled line drawing style. All icons have also been made slightly larger so they are easier to tap. While the company has also swapped out the globe notification icon for a bell icon.

Other redesigns include increased color contrast to make the typography more legible and circular profile photos. The redesign also includes larger link previews with the URL appearing above the headline, which will hopefully prevent people going to hoax sites that mimic popular news publisher URLs.

Other updates also include a more prominent back button and obvious header when you open a friend’s post from your News Feed.

Facebook-owned Instagram has also received a small redesign with the introduction of threaded comments. The redesign updates will roll out to all Facebook and Instagram users over the coming weeks.

Images: Facebook