Facebook today announced a series of updates to user profiles on mobile devices, and one of the first candidates for a revamp is the humble profile picture. There are a couple of interesting options to play with, including temporary profile pictures that change after a certain number of days.
This is an idea that was born from the popularity of banners which Facebook users added to their profile pictures to show support for a particular cause. Also in the pipeline are profile videos, which Facebook says will "add a new dimension to your profile". Forget static images, a looping video clip is now an option. But the profile updates don’t end there -- and, oddly, iPhone users are first in line to try out the new goodies.
Profiles are getting something of a redesign. Profile pictures are not only larger, but also centered, and Facebook now brings photos and friends to the top of the page when you visit someone else's profile. Privacy will never fail to be a concern for Facebook users, and the latest round of updates makes it easier to control what is publically visible.
At the top of your profile is a new area populated with information about you, and you can choose which fields are shared with the world. There's a new single-line bio field and it's now possible to add up to five featured photos to your profile for all to see.
We mentioned that iPhone users get to try things first. Facebook says:
We’re starting to test all of these features to a small number of iPhone users in the UK and California, and we’ll be rolling them out to more people soon.