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Take 360 photos with the Facebook app

Now you can do more than just view wraparound panoramas -- you can capture them as well.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
facebook-app-360-capture

The Facebook app now lets you capture panoramic images directly.

Facebook

For over a year, Facebook has allowed you to post 360-degree photos to your feed, thus giving family and friends the opportunity to see interactive, wraparound images. 

Now Facebook can capture 360-degree photos as well.

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Capturing a 360-degree panorama in Facebook is as simple as tapping a button and turning in a circle.

Facebook

At the very least you've probably seen these in your feed. When in a view, you can simply rotate in a circle to see a 360-degree panorama. Perhaps you've wondered what magic your friends used to create these cool images, and figured it must be pretty complicated.

It's not. Indeed, if you've ever used your phone to capture a panoramic photo, you should have no trouble learning to do likewise in Facebook. And if you're a first-timer, it's startlingly simple: Tap the new 360 Photo option at the top of your News Feed, then tap the blue button and follow the path in the viewfinder until you've turned a complete circle.

And that's it! From there you have the option of choosing your preferred "starting view" within the photo, as well as zooming in if needed to tag friends. When you're done, the 360 gets added to your timeline, though it can also be shared in albums and groups.

Facebook has also made it possible to use a 360 photo as your cover photo.

According to the company, some 70 million 360-degree photos were uploaded prior to this app update. It's a good bet we'll be seeing a lot more.