November 27, 2015

Facebook is known for going the extra mile to connect you with friends, family and those rare acquaintances. I remember a time when you could choose not to even display your profile picture thumbnail, but over the years, Facebook has been aggressively trying to market its users while at the same time making them believe that their privacy is ensured. Along those lines, the social media giant is testing a new feature in its Messenger app, which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on your take on social media.

The feature I am talking about is called ‘Photo Magic.’ What this essentially does is that it scans your camera roll to identify your Facebook friends. If you didn’t comprehend that fully, let me repeat again that it will scan your camera roll, not photos that you have uploaded already! If you ask me, that is sort of creepy.

What this essentially does is that it scans your camera roll to identify your Facebook friends

This is how it works – let’s say you take a picture on an outing with your friends and once you’ve done that, you will be sent a notification asking you whether you would like to send it to your friends through Messenger. The rate at which this scanning takes place varies with the handset you are currently using. If you are an Android user, the scan will take place every time you take a photo, and in case of iOS users, it will be less frequent. Also, only new photos will be scanned.

At the moment, this feature is being tested in Australia with an aim to make photo sharing easier and more accessible. For those of you who focus more on privacy or aren’t interested in allowing Facebook to access your photos, this feature will not be regarded as a welcome move. However, you will be able to keep the feature on or off depending on your preference. The feature is now available to Android users in Australia and will soon arrive in iOS devices in the country.