Facebook is testing out a new feature that will make saving data easier. You always have videos ready to watch when you scroll down the infinity loop, and now you won't have to waste your data plan downloading them (if you are connected to Wi-Fi).
The feature is called Instant Videos ( see how it links with Instagram?), and it appears to download various Facebook videos while you are connected to Wi-Fi so the videos will be able to start playing immediately on your phone when you are browsing on the app.
Instant Video appear to serve a few different purposes, for one, Facebook cares a ton about video right now, and it can potentially boost viewership and improve the viewing experience by having clips ready to go. Downloading the videos on WI-Fi also saves cellular data and might encourage more viewing on mobile.
Facebook confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s testing Instant Videos with a small percentage of people using its Android app. There’s no indication yet or whether this feature will roll out wider. It’s not entirely clear how Facebook is putting it to use either, such as whether these videos are ones that would algorithmically appear at the top of your News Feed, or if they come from Facebook’s new video hub.
The Instant videos will probably appear on your timeline soon, keep an eye out for the videos with a lightning bolt!!
