Facebook Updates iOS App With Video Recording and More

Facebook has updated its main iOS app to offer users a handful of new features, with the most notable being the ability to record and share videos in-app, an extra that will give users a similar video-sharing outlet to the Twitter-backed Vine application.

While the addition allows users to shoot videos directly from their Facebook app by either choosing "Photo" from their News Feed or selecting "Share Photo" from their Timeline, the process is rather awkward and could use some tweaking. In the past, users had to go through the photo roll to upload a video, but now they can do so within the app itself. Despite this improvement of internal functionality, the app still has its limitations, as users cannot share videos previously recorded through Facebook messages.

The update also brings voice message capabilities and an improved Nearby tab, which Facebook promises will provide more relevant results than before. Previously available only on the social network's standalone Messenger app, voice messages are now accessible in the main platform, allowing Apple users to send voice recordings up to 60-seconds long. The feature was introduced on Android recently as well.

Furthermore, iPhone and iPad users will be able to mark stories as spam in a much easier fashion. Instead of being directed to a new screen to hide or mark a story in their News Feed as junk, users can now simply tap the three-dot icon at the top right corner of the post and choose which option they'd like to perform.

Facebook has also added its Code Generator authentication system to version 5.4 of the iOS app, a feature that has been available on the Android version for quite a while. The program gives users a custom-generated code to validate their identity when logging into the app on a new device.

The update can be downloaded now from the App Store.