The 2016 F8 developer conference is happening this week and tech heads are trying to figure out what to expect before the official is word out. Facebook Messenger Chatbots, 360 Video, Instant Articles, and Audience Network are some of the most anticipated announcements.
Facebook's two-day event, the 2016 F8 developer conference is billed for Fort Mason Center in San Francisco on Tuesday and Wednesday. As always, the social network company is maintaining secrecy while various experts are trying to take their guess at possible announcements. Ken Yeung, a staff writer at VentureBeat, compiles a list of what to expect from the big event.
According to the Yeung, 2016 F8 developer conference could reveal chatbots for Facebook Messenger, which was recently updated with scanning button, usernames, and links. As more features are rolling out one by one, chatbot API could be on the list. This possibility is further reinforced by the fact that developers of the platform can now access a secret chat SDK, which has a wide variety of implications like shopping, booking for travel, and more. The bot technology for Facebook Messenger will be able to respond well beyond the traditional "Structured Messages," TechCrunch reported.
Facebook 360 videos have been around for quite sometimes now, but this F8, a new set of features could be introduced for the social media platform or Oculus Rift since the new VR gadget is on the verge. The social network company has already released information for developers on the aspects of 360 video optimization and its deployment apps. Facebook Live stream is too fresh to be updated and may not see new developments on an event just a week apart.
The 2016 F8 developer conference is also expected to dash out its Instant Articles program, which first appeared on the back in May 2015. Aimed at publishers and developers, Instant Articles would host content natively on the social network for faster downloading of the pages on smartphones. This will not only cut loading time by optimizing the content for mobile surfing. Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages program is a similar effort.
Long teased Facebook Audience Network is already in action as more and more app developers are shifting towards Facebook's CPM-based native advertising solution for app monetization. Audience Network was company's take to proliferate mobile advertising opportunities beyond the social networking website. Fortunately, the company has already mounted growth of native ads through affiliated apps and games to 83 percent so 2016's F8 conference could break some new updates.
Although, Microsoft had announced that Audience Network is coming to Windows platform, there was no official update about it from the Facebook. So the 2016 F8 conference is likely to announce some advancement in this regard. So Facebook Messenger Chatbots, 360 Video, Instant Articles, and Audience Network are some of the most anticipated announcements.
The truth will be revealed during the Facebook's 2016 F8 developer conference. This video shows keynotes from company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg during last year's F8 event.