Facebook Messenger World Effects Bring Snapchat-Like AR Stickers

It ain't over til the big-boned Viking lady sings, as they say. That definitely seems to be the case with Facebook's barrage of new features that are too eerily familiar with features from its biggest rival, Snapchat. Then again, everyone's going towards augmented reality objects these days, so Facebook could simply say it's just riding the waves. Regardless, uses of Messenger need not look elsewhere for their 3D stickers fix as Facebook introduces "World Effects" that brings the messaging service closer to making Snapchat redundant.

The back and forth between Facebook and Snapchat is amusing to watch, though some would say it's mostly a case of Facebook trying to catch up. Just these recent months, Facebook has implemented messaging Streaks, Instagram Live filters, and a standalone Instagram Direct messaging app. So what's the harm in yet another one.

"World Effects" is really just a fancy way of saying "AR stickers". Unlike your run of the mill stickers and emojis, these stick to the real-world object you put them on, not to the camera. So you can put hearts, arrows and word bubbles on anyone and anything, whether they like it or not.

It might actually be simple to use but, admittedly, the technology behind it isn't. Unlike static stickers, these "3D" stickers require that the Messenger camera identify objects and be aware of its location. When you move the phone around, the sticker stays put.

World Effects are rolling out to Messenger users now and can be accessed from the Messenger Camera. The set of effects at the moment is quite small, only including a heart, an arrow, a robot, a unicorn, and some word bubbles. You can bet your lucky stars there will be more as time goes by.

SOURCE: Facebook