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Facebook users' profile photos get bigger

Following a series of changes on the social-networking site, it's now easier to see users' profile images without having to click on them.

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
Dara Kerr
Users' profile photos on Facebook are now bigger. Screenshot by Dara Kerr/CNET

Facebook has quietly increased the size of users' profile photos so they are more pronounced. Profile photos now measure 166 x 160 pixels, quite a bit larger than previous size of 130 x 125 pixels, according to The Next Web.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the social network had made profile photos bigger but did not give CNET any further information on why it made the change.

This is likely to appease some users because their profile photos now stand out better within their Timeline Cover images. It could also impact users who have customized their profile and cover photos to be integrated.

Facebook has been rolling out a series of changes over the last couple of weeks, such as merging e-mail addresses and Timeline URLs and providing users a tool to download the information they have archived on their profile.

This move also comes on the heels of Google+ making users' profile photos larger. In its redesign, Google+ riffed off Facebook's idea of a cover image and now it seems like Facebook might be copying Google+ back with bigger profile photos.