Facebook Portal was released on 8th of November, which has shown us a whole new way of communicating with our loved ones. Facebook Portal and Portal Plus–these smart displays go way beyond video calling and offers tons of exciting features.
In our last blog post, we covered all on Facebook Portal, how does it work, and what all these smart displays are capable of. These smart displays are not just capable of video calling, but way beyond that. You can watch videos, play games, know about weather, tell your kids stories, set your personal pictures as background and more.
Here are some of the best Facebook Portal features and a few tips to make the most of these smart display devices.
1. Watch Videos
Apart from video calling, watching videos is one of the best things to put these devices on their best use. You should be an active Facebook member for using Portal devices, there’s this only catch involved. So, you can watch the videos which are saved on your Facebook timeline and use these devices to its full potential.
2. Play Games
As soon as you’ll swipe left from the home screen, you’ll see a variety of app on Portal screen. Look for “Watch” as it’ll allow you to play games on your Facebook Portal smart display. You can use this feature to play games like Cuphead, PUBG and Far Cry and more.
3. Access Third Party Apps
Facebook Portal smart display also allow you to access a variety of third-party apps including Pandora, Spotify, iHeart Radio and more. As of now the selection is pretty limited but Facebook has promised to increase the number of add-ons soon in future. (Fingers crossed).
4. Control Your Calls
As Facebook Portal is more of a smart home device, it offers a feature where you can customize your calling preference about when people should call you. Tap on Settings > Incoming Call Settings > Only When You’re Home. You will receive a confirmation message on your phone whether you wish to use the “Home and away” feature or not. Tap on OK to confirm. Once you enable this feature, you’ll only get calls on your phone when you’re away from home. And if you’re at home, you’ll only be receiving calls on your Facebook Portal device.
5. Tell Stories to Kids
This Storytime feature is one of the best highlights of Facebook Portal devices. By any chance if you’re away from your kids, you can use the “Story Time” feature on Facebook portal to make your kids feel home. Select the Story Time icon on the bottom of your screen and follow the on-screen instructions. Tap on any story which you’d like to read for your kids. Now, once you enable this option the person on the other side of conversation will see story book scenes on their screen. Isn’t this a great option for video calling with kids?
6. Enable Notifications
As Facebook Portal is all about connecting with your loved ones, it offers an option where you can be notified as a person is online on Facebook Messenger. Head on to your favorite person’s option on home screen. Tap the “i” icon and enable the Activity Notification option. Next time, whenever your favorite person is online, Portal will let you know!
7. Add Local Weather Updates
Like we said earlier, Facebook Portal devices go far beyond than merely video calling. Head on to Settings > Superframe and enable the Weather option to view current weather at glance.
8. Add Multiple Accounts
Not many of us are aware about this but Facebook Portal allows you to add up to 4 user accounts. To add accounts, go to Settings > Accounts > Add an Account. In this way, if any other member of your house wants to use Facebook portal or make any calls, they can easily use it to connect with their loved ones.
So, folks here were some of the best Facebook Portal features that tell us how capable these devices are beyond offering mere video calling option. How much do you like this new Facebook delight? Feel free to share your feedback in the comments box below.