Facebook’s Instant Articles are actually a pretty nifty feature and it does cut down a lot of loading time, especially when you’re on the go and you don’t want to waste precious seconds (or even a minute) waiting for an article to load. Now it looks like Facebook is trying to replicate that except with video.
In a report from TechCrunch, it seems that Facebook is testing out an Instant Video feature on its Android app for select users. The feature was initially discovered by user Devesh Logendran who shared the tip with The Next Web’s Matt Navarra. Just like Instant Articles, videos that are part of the Instant Video feature will have a lightning bolt icon next to it.
Basically what happens here is that videos will be preloaded when you’re connected to WiFi, so that when you want to watch them, you won’t have to wait for them to load, or if you’re using mobile data then you won’t need to consume your mobile data in order to watch them, which could come in handy for users in markets where data is limited or for users who aren’t on unlimited plans.
Given that Facebook is interested in expanding their video efforts, this feature could also be a good way for the social network to attract publishers and networks to start offering more video content on its platform. Facebook has since confirmed that they are indeed testing out the feature, but it is unclear when it will be launched for everyone else.