The communications and collaboration market is set to reach $96 billion by 2023 – Facebook is part of the reason why.

Toronto, Ontario – March 6th 2017: In the past month, Facebook has made significant updates to audio and video sharing on WhatsApp, Instagram and its own original app. For mobile app developers at BluEnt, the message couldn’t be clearer: for our clients to stay afloat, audio/video features aren’t an option, they’re a necessity. Let’s take a closer look at what’s behind Facebook’s mobile media strategy

Facebook Update: Video Sharing Takes Centre Stage

Mid-February, the Facebook Newsroom announced major changes to in-app video consumption. “People are watching and sharing more video on Facebook than ever, and we’re focused on continuously improving the video experience,” stated Product Manager Dana Sittler and Engineering Manager Alex Li.

Here are the four main updates:

• Bringing Sound to Videos in News Feed: Previously, videos in the Facebook News Feed played silently unless the user tapped the screen for sound. In response to a growing consumer expectation for audio sharing and integration, sound will fade in and out as users scroll through the mobile app, “bringing those videos to life.”

• Vertical Video: With more people recording on their mobile devices, vertical video will now take up more of the screen in the News Feed.

• Watch and Scroll: Video sharing has permeated social media apps to the point where users leave the content on in the background while engaging in other activities. The update now allows you to minimize a video so that it’s playing in the corner of the screen while you browse in-app or even after you exit Facebook.

• Facebook Video App for TV: According to their research, people have expressed an interest in a variety of video sharing options, not just mobile. Thus, Facebook unveiled a new Facebook video app to be created for Smart TV’s and other platforms to come.

What do you think of the latest Facebook updates? Chat with our developers to get a professional opinion on their strategy.

Instagram Update: Photo Sharing Gets an Upgrade

Just two weeks ago, Instagram revealed a key user experience shift of its own for iOS and Android. Rather than just a single video or photo, users can now include up to 10 multimedia files in a single post. Each individual photo or video can be edited and tagged like a standard post. Their viewers then swipe through the selection in chronological order as they would a Facebook photo album.

To find out how to take advantage of Instagram’s new update, check out our press release on 2017 social media marketing trends. With this update, Facebook and Instagram saw an opportunity to derive even more value from the $50 billion social media giant. This constant output of fresh social media ideas shows that developing a social media app with photo/video features is not only profitable, but scalable. By creating more engaging ways of interacting with multimedia, Instagram can attract more loyal users and closely knit communities.

WhatsApp Update: Texting Turned Status Sharing

To round off the bunch, Facebook released a video sharing update to WhatsApp last month that threatens to seize yet another slice of Snapchat’s share in the skyrocketing mobile app messaging market.

With the new update, WhatsApp users gain access to the status feature for sharing photos, videos and GIFs. This tool is extremely similar to Snapchat and Instagram Stories – they can be filtered, drawn over, and captioned, and they disappear after 24 hours.

Since its launch, WhatsApp has maintained a steady focus on text-based chatting. Now that users are encouraged to engage with a variety of different forms of content, a standard has been set for what new startups who want to create a messaging app can achieve.

Collaboration Achieved: BluEnt’s Response

BluEnt works with enterprises and startups to design mobile apps with video and audio features that create powerful communities. Whether our clients aim to be the next Facebook or the next Fortune 500, we design the mobility solutions that they need to thrive. In the past, we have worked on ground-breaking solutions in iOS App Development and Android App Development for everything from Restaurant Ordering Applications to Retail Shopping Applications. As this fast-paced industry grows, we look forward to continuously innovating our services to meet the challenges ahead.

About Us:

Formed in 2003, BluEnt specializes in proving custom websites, mobile apps, e-commerce, and internet marketing services for companies running an online dependent business or looking to develop tools to efficiently automate and monitor active processes in their organization. With 11 growing offices situated around the world, BluEnt is respected globally for its consistent quality of services and timely delivery of projects. We use our experience across industries and software applications to help enterprises derive maximum value out of their resources and investments.