Facebook is updating video chat in Messenger today with some new features, including live filters, animated reactions, and the ability to directly save screenshots.
The reactions take the five reaction emoji from Messenger — a heart, a smiling face, a surprised face, a crying face, and an angry face — and animate them as an overlay on your face. For example, the crying emoji will cause animated tears to fall from your eyes, while the heart creates a halo of exploding hearts around your head.
Similarly, users will be able to apply Instagram-like filters to the live video chat, along with Snapchat-style augmented reality masks. (These have already been part of Messenger for a while.) This marks a rare time when Messenger actually has a feature before its competitors. While Snapchat offered augmented reality filters first, the addition of the feature to Messenger’s live video chats is a first for the field.
Lastly, Facebook is adding an instant screenshot button, so you’ll be able to save all these cool new effects straight to your camera roll without ruining the shot with the Messenger interface.
The new Messenger features should be rolling out today.