Skip to main content

Facebook launches video comments to make your interactions even more immersive

facebook video comments ipad
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Facebook’s aggressive pursuit of video continues unabated, as the company is now allowing users to upload video replies in the form of comments on a post.

Updated on 06-09-2016 by Saqib Shah: Added details on the launch and creation of Facebook video comments.

Recommended Videos

According to Facebook product engineer Bob Baldwin, video comments are supported on desktop web, iOS, and Android. Consequently, you can use the new visual media option to interact with people and pages, as well as within groups and events. The update will likely result in a lot more data being cramped on to Facebook’s servers, but that’s the social network’s concern not yours — so get uploading.

To post a video response on Facebook, users must tap the camera icon in the comment box beneath a post (as you would if you wanted to post a pic), which will then connect to your smartphone’s camera library, allowing you to share a prerecorded clip.

The new option expands the multimedia features already available within the comments section, including the ability to post images, links, Facebook stickers, and emoji.

Facebook video comments are available worldwide
Facebook video comments are available worldwide. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Baldwin claims the video comments functionality was created within the span of a day, during Facebook’s 50th Hackathon earlier this year. He adds that the hackers that worked on the new feature included individuals who had previously built multimedia options into posts, and had contributed to the expansion of Facebook Live.

“To add support across interfaces and within two heavy traffic services, like comments and videos …[would] be a challenge in a month, let alone a single day,” writes Baldwin.

Although Snapchat comparisons get thrown about a lot in regards to Facebook, the feature undoubtedly brings it closer to the visual messaging app, which is primarily built upon image and video exchanges.

Facebook will also be hoping that it encourages more people to share videos, making them more comfortable with the medium as a form of communication. This in turn could encourage users to adopt Facebook Live, and begin streaming more frequently.

Saqib Shah
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more
Here’s how to delete your YouTube account on any device
How to delete your YouTube account

Wanting to get out of the YouTube business? If you want to delete your YouTube account, all you need to do is go to your YouTube Studio page, go to the Advanced Settings, and follow the section that will guide you to permanently delete your account. If you need help with these steps, or want to do so on a platform that isn't your computer, you can follow the steps below.

Note that the following steps will delete your YouTube channel, not your associated Google account.

Read more
How to download Instagram photos for free
Instagram app running on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Instagram is amazing, and many of us use it as a record of our lives — uploading the best bits of our trips, adventures, and notable moments. But sometimes you can lose the original files of those moments, leaving the Instagram copy as the only available one . While you may be happy to leave it up there, it's a lot more convenient to have another version of it downloaded onto your phone or computer. While downloading directly from Instagram can be tricky, there are ways around it. Here are a few easy ways to download Instagram photos.

Read more