Facebook on Tuesday announced new AI-powered features designed to help users express themselves in more playful ways across the platform. Updates include animated profile pictures, photo restyle tools for Stories and Memories, and the ability to add animated backgrounds to text posts.
Meta is working to keep Facebook relevant among younger users with its flagship app, and may be betting that these new features will provide a more personalized experience that will appeal to Gen Z.
The new Animated Profile Photo feature applies motion effects to still photos, making it appear as if your subject is waving, forming a heart shape, or wearing a virtual party hat. For best results, Facebook recommends using a clear photo with a single person facing the camera. Photos can be taken directly from the user’s camera roll or from images already on the platform. The company also plans to add more animation options throughout the year.
Facebook is also powering Stories (short photo and video posts that disappear after 24 hours) and Memories (the ability to revisit posts from the same date from the previous year) with Restyle, a tool that uses meta AI to reimagine the look of images uploaded by users.
After uploading a photo to a story or selecting a memory to share, users can tap Change Style to enter a text-based prompt or choose from preset themes such as Anime, Illustration, Glowing, and Fantastic. There are also options to adjust the atmosphere, lighting, and colors, or swap out new backgrounds like a beach or cityscape.
To spice up your text posts, Facebook is also gradually rolling out animated backgrounds. By clicking on the new rainbow “A” icon, users can choose from a variety of still and animated scenes, such as falling leaves or rolling waves, to make their posts stand out in their feed. According to the company, seasonal backgrounds will also be coming soon.
Facebook remains a social media giant, with around 2.1 billion daily active users. However, in recent years it has struggled to attract and retain young people.
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To address this, the platform has adopted new technologies, including AI, and introduced a more youthful redesign. Other recent updates include a friends-only feed and the ability to use unique display names within groups, similar to how Reddit handles usernames within communities. The platform is also making its poke feature relevant again by launching a new dedicated button on users’ profiles that alerts recipients of pokes via a notification.
