Facebook kicked off its annual two-day developers conference in San Jose where company CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke about Facebook’s plans for bettering user privacy on its platform.
Facebook said that it plans to introduce interoperability between its various applications like WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram bundled with end-to-end encryption.
Facebook also announced the availability dates for its new VR headsets – the Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest, which has been priced starting from $399 (Rs 28,000 approx)
Key Announcements at the Facebook F8 Keynote:
- Mark Zuckerberg eyes improved privacy for Facebook and its products
- WhatsApp Payment to roll out in other countries after beta testing in India
- Facebook Portal now support WhatsApp calling via end-to-end encryption
- Messenger app redesigned to load faster and offers secured messaging
- Instagram will offer shopping to its users from within the app
- Oculus Rift S and Quest announced, shipping starts mid-May onwards
- Facebook to develop interoperability between all of its products
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Wrapping it Up
To sum up, Zuckerberg hasn't really told us something we don't already know. Messenger gets a major redesign. It will soon also be available as a desktop app for Mac OS and Windows. There will be interoperability between Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram with end-to-end encryption.
Facebook also touched upon Dating app, which will roll out in 14 more countries apart from the five it already is in. WhatsApp Payments will roll out to more countries. It has been piloted in India for nearly a year now. And the Facebook website will be getting a full redesign.
New Oculus Devices Unveiled
Facebook has unveiled new VR headsets in its Oculus line-up. The Oculus Rift S and the Oculus Quest.
Everyone at F8 will get a free Oculus Quest.
Zuckerberg is Talking About Payments via WhatsApp
“The testing is going on in India with over a million users and we have received great feedback and will be looking to roll out the feature in other countries”, says Zuckerberg.
Payments is India works with the help of the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), partnering with local banks, something that Google as also done for its Google Pay ecosystem.
Facebook Portal is Finally Launching
All video calls on Portal will be end-to-end encrypted and will be available for use on WhatsApp Calling and Messenger.
The hardware will be available for sale in the coming months in the international market.
