Facebook is on a roll when it comes to new updates and features. This week Facebook announced that users of the social networking site will soon be able to post status updates on colored backgrounds, giving more visual appeal to the usually plain messages on white background in people's news feeds.
The feature is currently being tested outside the US, TechCrunch reports. For now, only users who have access to the test can apply colors to their Facebook status updates and view colored backgrounds on their friends' posts.
The feature will roll out globally in the next few days. Initially, only users of smartphones running on Android will be able to create Facebook posts with colored backgrounds, but they will be visible to all regardless of the operating system.
The feature's purpose is to let personal updates from Facebook users stand out in a sea of other content on the social networking site, such as news and advertising, according to Tech Portal. Facebook took the first step when it enabled posting short status updates in big font sizes, and having colored backgrounds for the updates is seen as another move in the same direction.
A Facebook spokesperson also said the new feature aims to help users "make their posts more visual." Facebook acknowledges that its core attraction is still original content such as personal status updates by users, which has recently declined compared with the sharing of professionally published content like news stories.
Facebook hopes that both the big text feature and the upcoming colored backgrounds would help users prioritize updates from friends and family and make those contents more shareable on the social networking platform.
Putting colored backgrounds is just one of several new features that Facebook has launched or tested in recent months. Facebook is also a testing a group voice call feature via its desktop site, and is considering a plan to fund its own video content.
Its Messenger app has also been beefed up with new features, such as 3D stickers and other artistic effects for its camera.
Here's a YouTube video from someone who is apparently testing the new feature.
