The social media giant recently released a new optional feature for its iOS and Android app users.
Last week, Facebook upgraded its mobile app for iPhone and Android mobile phones, which now gives users the option of using the microphones of their mobile devices to listen and identify music and TV content and share this information in their posts.
The audio-recognition feature can be turned on or off.
Users who are interested in taking advantage of this feature will be given the option to turn it on after updating the app and they will also be provided with information on how the new feature functions. If the user chooses to turn it on it will make it easier for them to share what they are watching or listening to as soon as they begin writing a post. The app will give users the option to include information about what is playing in the background if they want to include that in their status update. The feature can also be turned off at any time.
Aryeh Selkman, the product manager who was in charge of developing the app’s audio-recognition feature said, “We want to help people tell better stories.” He added, “I hope there are people who love the feature and post more.” If Facebook users share more about what is of interest to them, this could potentially increase the value of ads that are targeted at some of the social network’s billion-plus users.
The social media mobile app works much like the popular audio-recognition app Shazam.
The technology used in the Facebook app is very similar to Shazam because it utilizes the microphones that have been integrated into a smartphone to recognize television and music. Facebook signed deals to attain audio from 160 TV stations in America. According to the social media company, it only takes 15 seconds for the app to identify a live show.
In addition, Facebook has stated that it has made deals with music streaming sites like Rdio and Spotify, which gives users of Facebook the ability to preview songs that other users have shared. Songs can be previewed using the same mobile app audio identification feature.
This will help people to be able to avoid people when they are aiming not to have a chance encounter.
For people who are looking to make sure that they won’t accidentally run into their exes while they’re out, there are now mobile apps coming out that have the exact opposite goal of many of the social media options that are currently available.
There are two applications that have been released within the past few weeks for this reason.
Both Split and Cloak are mobile apps that use geolocation technology to map the position of individuals that users don’t want to run into someone they used to date. Anyone who doesn’t want to be seen can be avoided through the use of this location based tech application. It utilizes updates on location in combination with check-ins that are made on other social networks.
The founders of both mobile apps claim that avoiding exes was the primary inspiration.
According to Split’s founder, Udi Dagan, there was one “bad night” in which he ran into two of his ex-girlfriends and. This caused him to come up with an app in which check-ins are used from Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Instagram, so that people can be tracked and avoided when they are located nearby.
From the Cloak side, a co-founder, Chris Baker, explained that “My co-founder Brian ran into his ex four times in one month.” He went on to say that this let them know that they “had to do something.” That application uses Foursquare and Instagram to help a user to be able to find both friends and not-so friends. Baker explained that Twitter and Facebook would be added very shortly.
The founders of both products were not completely unaware of the issue of privacy concerns that potential users would bring forward. They also both responded to claims that they would be contributing to potential stalking and other location privacy issues by saying that all of the information that would be made available through the applications would already be posted over social media. These mobile apps simply aggregate the information that is already being posted by the individuals to be avoided.
