Facebook is constantly updating and changing and it can be easy to not learn or hear about everything the platform has to offer. Here are three features that haven’t been in the spotlight but everyone should know about!

Live audio streaming: Facebook is testing out live audio streaming with the hopes that it becomes as popular as its live video. This means in the coming weeks you could listen to your favorite radio talk shows, book readings and interviews right from your news feed! You will be able to ask questions and share reactions in real time, just like with live video!  Currently Facebook’s live audio streaming isn’t open to the public but has been released to “media partners.” So, keep your eyes peeled for live audio content appearing in your feed very soon!

Group video chat in messenger: Facebook’s messenger now has the option for group wide video chat. Users can call multiple people at once and people can enter and leave the group call at any time. The crazy thing is – this group chat can hold up to 50 different people!! For the first six people, Facebook will nicely stream all the videos in a grid format. After the sixth person joins, Facebook will display the streams of the group members who are talking. This huge video group chat feature could be great for large families or even business conference calls where it was previously challenging to get a large group of people on one video call. If you’re a fan of Snapchat filters, the group chat has its own “mask” option that puts a funny mask on your face for everyone to see to add a little fun to your call.

Charity Donations: And finally, because in the new year it is important to remember what truly matters, here’s a feature that helps with giving back. Facebook has always been a great site for learning about important causes and showing your support by liking and sharing posts with others. And while creating awareness is important, we all know that a couple thousand likes isn’t going to help any cause in the real world. Fortunately, now there is more that you can do! Facebook has introduced a “Donate” button on verified charity pages. This will allow the millions of Facebook users to do more than just like posts, by actually sending money to support the causes they are posting about!

Had you heard of these little known Facebook features? Are you excited to have a 50 person group chat or support your favorite charities? What will Facebook come out with next?!      

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By Meredith Red

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