Facebook now supports 360-degree photos, its latest effort to get more people comfortable with watching and creating content typically found in virtual reality.
The social media giant stated in a post that users can now easily share 360 photos on Facebook by simply taking a panorama with the phone or capturing a 360-degree photo using a 360 photo app or 360 camera, and then post it on Facebook as done on a normal photo.
From there, Facebook will convert it to an immersive 360 photo that people can explore, similar to how people experience 360 videos on Facebook.
“360 photos are easy to identify in News Feed: just look for the compass icon on the right-hand side of the photo. Explore a 360 photo on mobile by tapping and dragging the photo or by moving your phone, and on the web by clicking and dragging,” the post states.
Facebook says along with 360 photos from friends and family, users can discover stunning new 360 photos on Facebook from public figures, publishers, and other organisations.
360-degree photo gives users the ability to take the stage in front of 100,000, get behind-the-scenes access, visit the International Space Station with, and more.
According to the company, Facebook 360 photos go beyond News Feed, as users would also be able to explore them in virtual reality with the Samsung Gear VR. While using a supported Samsung device, 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.
To take 360 Photos, take a panorama on your iOS device or Samsung Galaxy phone or capture a 360-degree photo using a 360 photo app or 360 cameras. 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 will 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.
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