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Facebook Launches 360 Photos in News Feed

You can now transform any panorama shot into an immersive experience.

360 Photos have finally hit Facebook. Considering Facebook rolled out 360 video support late last year, we are surprised it took them this long to implement photo support, which you would think is considerably more accessible to create over 360 video.

With hundreds of millions of photos shared on Facebook each day, being able to share more immersive views of the world could make the News Feed that much more engaging.

Simply take a panorama with your phone or capture a 360-degree photo using a 360 photo app or 360 camera, and then post it on Facebook as you would a normal photo. Facebook will take care of the rest, converting it to an immersive 360 photo that people can explore, just like experiencing 360 videos on Facebook.

360 photos are easy to identify in the News Feed, showing a compass icon on the right-hand side of the photo. If you’re on mobile, you can tap and drag the photo or move your phone to explore the 360 image. For those of you on desktop, you can just click and drag.

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Some public figures and organizations have already started sharing 360 photos like going on stage with Paul McCartney or having the ability to visit the International Space Station with NASA!

And for all of you who have a Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus, you’ll also be able to explore Facebook 360 photos in VR. You can simply click “View in VR” in the top left corner of the video, place the phone in the Gear VR, and experience the photo in an immersive VR environment.

360 photos are available to view today on Facebook via the web and latest version of mobile apps. The social platform will begin rolling out the ability to share your own 360 photos on Facebook over the next few days.

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So How Do You Take 360 Photos For Facebook?

  • Take a panorama on your iOS device or Samsung Galaxy phone or capture a 360-degree photo using a 360 photo app or 360 camera.
  • Open the Facebook app and share the photo as you would any other photo: tap the status tool from the top of your Timeline or News Feed, select Photo/Video, choose the photo you want to share, and tap Post.
  • Once your photo is posted, look around in your photo — or any other 360 photo in News Feed that’s marked with the compass icon — by moving your phone or dragging with your finger. Tap on the photo to view it in full screen.
  • On Samsung Gear VR-compatible phones, you’ll see a button in the top left corner of your photo that says “View in VR.” If you tap on that button and insert your phone into your Gear VR headset, you can see your 360 photo in virtual reality.

About the Scout

Jonathan Nafarrete

Jonathan Nafarrete is the co-founder of VRScout.

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