Irish Facebook users first to test Snapchat-style filters

Facebook’s Irish users are the first to test the social network’s new Snapchat-style filters for the camera in its main app.

The new effects include augmented reality masks, frames and reactive effects that adapt to your face and environment in real time.

Users can either post their videos directly to their Facebook feed or share with certain friends through the Direct feature. But using the direct feature means the content will only stay visible as long as the conversation is ongoing; once it ends, the video disappears.

The test is being rolled out to users from today but not everyone will get it. Those who do gain access will see the change to the Newsfeed camera when they update their app.

Facebook previously tested a similar feature in Brazil and Canada ahead of the Olympics. The new test is a tweaked version of that roll out.

Facebook said the rationale behind the experiment was an acknowledgement of the fact that people are sharing more visually and demanding more flexibility in who they share with.

The company has adapted its services in response to competition from other platforms, testing features such as conversations that disappear in a set time, adding live video to pages and introducing end to end encryption for messaging.

It’s not the first time Facebook has chosen to test a feature in Ireland, with its Irish users getting access to its Reactions feature first in 2015.