Facebook is currently testing out a new feature that might help save mobile data when you watch videos on its social media platform. Called Instant Video, the new feature will pre-load videos on Facebook when you are connected to Wi-Fi, so when you’re out, you can instantly watch those content without using your mobile data.
Instant Video was first discovered by Matt Navarra from The Next Web, and then confirmed by TechCrunch. The feature can download and cache Facebook videos to user’s phones when they are connected on Wi-Fi, so that they can watch those videos later on for free; pre-loaded videos are indicated with a lightning bolt icon.
Facebook Instant Videos coming soon? ⚡️
h/t Devesh Logendran pic.twitter.com/rNZYkbeL2r
— Matt Navarra (I quit X. Follow me on Threads) (@MattNavarra) September 11, 2017
This is not the first time Facebook want to push content to its users instantly. They already have Instant Articles that can load website almost instantaneously, so users do not get put off having to wait for articles to appear. However, Instant Video could be more appealing to users as videos are generally larger and takes longer to load. This is also great for those who are always on the go, or stay in places with weak cellular connectivity.
Sadly though, don’t expect to use Instant Video anytime soon. Facebook confirms to TechCrunch that Instant Video is in its testing phase, and is only available to a small percentage of Android users. Hopefully it won’t take them too long to roll it out to more users worldwide.
(Source: TechCrunch, Matt Navarra)
