Meta Portal Lets You Browse Through Facebook Stories Hands-Free

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 08 December 2021, 11:12 am

Meta Portal is getting a series of updates. One of them allows users to browse through their Facebook Stories without doing it manually. It lets users access the feature by saying, "Hey Portal, show me Stories."

Metal Portal's Update

According to About Facebook, aside from the Stories, users can now ask the Facebook Assistant to display recent posts, photos, and responses, according to The Verge.

In the past, there was not any native support for Facebook, as it was only accessible through Facebook web version.

Meta Portal takes pictures of you while you are on a call. However, it can't let you take pictures of the person you are talking to on the other side of the screen. It is something that Facebook said was because of privacy reasons back in 2018.

Also Read: Meta: Oculus Space Sense for VR is Coming to Avoid Knocking Off Furniture, Colliding With Pets

Now, the Meta Portal will allow users to take screenshots during Messenger calls by saying, "Hey Portal, take a photo." Users can share the image through Facebook Messenger, just like you normally do with other content.

Meta Portal has also added support for AR effects on both sides of a Facebook Messenger call, no matter what device you use.

If someone is using a phone or tablet in place of a Meta Portal, they will now be able to see the AR effects that you activated.

Also, three new games are said to be coming to the Meta Portal, including "Quizbee," "Port-a-Pet," and "Sequencer," all of which are accessible through the Photo Booth app.

"Quizbee" gives out trivia that you need to answer. "Sequencer" is a game that tests your memorization skills by flashing random number sequences on screen. "Port-a-Pet" lets you play with virtual pets.

Lastly, Meta Portal has followed through on its promise to integrate Microsoft Teams with Meta Portal, as the video conferencing feature will be available on the device beginning Dec. 8.

Both ESPN and ESPN Plus will be available on all Meta Portal devices later this month. These will be accessible in the United States only.

Together with these new features, Meta Portal has reduced the price of the Meta Portal devices. The Meta Portal Go is now only for $149, Meta Portal TV is now only $79, and Meta Portal Plus is for $299.

Last week, Facebook Messenger also added a feature that allows users to review split payments.

Facebook Renames Oculus Quest and Portal

In October, Facebook announced that the company would be called Meta, and even its hardware got new names, according to Pocket-Lint.

Andrew Bosworth, the chief technology officer of Meta, said that the Oculus branding changed, including Oculus Quest virtual reality headset and product line.

In 2022, the Oculus Quest will be called the Meta Quest, and the Oculus App will change into Meta Quest App.

Bosworth explained in a Facebook post that VR would be the most immersive way for people to access the metaverse. Their goal is to bring as many people as they can into VR.

They also want to make Quest a part of the Meta product. Because of this, Metal will be changing its brand's architecture and will slowly detach itself from the Oculus brand.