What to expect at Facebook’s F8 2019 developer conference

MANILA, Philippines – Facebook is gearing up to showcase new features and products at its annual F8 developer conference to be held from April 30 to May 1 in San Jose, California.

Last year’s conference was packed with announcements, highlighted by the reveal of a new dating service and the launch of VR device Oculus Go. This year might not be any different with the event’s website touting updates for Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Oculus.

Here’s what to expect:

Zuckerberg’s keynote

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off last year’s conference by addressing the many controversies that surrounded the platform, specifically the Russian election interference, the spread of fake news, and the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

It’s been confirmed that he would once again take the stage this year for another keynote. We’re not entirely sure yet what he plans to talk about.

But, with an ever-growing list of issues that plague the platform – from data privacy to content control – Zuckerberg may have a lot of ground to cover that must include details on their plans to transform Facebook from a town square to a more private “living room,” how they intend to react to potential enhanced regulation by governments, and how much they have concretely changed since last year’s debacles.

Unite messaging services

It was reported by The New York Times in late January that Facebook is planning to integrate its three messaging services – WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger – upon the request of Zuckerberg.

Doing so would allow a WhatsApp user, for instance, to chat with an Instagram user without the need to switch between apps.

The plan is to rewrite the code of all three apps to ensure that the feature works. Facebook also plans to enable end-to-end encryption to prevent anyone from intercepting messages sent across the different apps.

Development is said to be still in its early stages with completion expected for the end of this year or early 2020.

Facebook has yet to formally announce the integration plans, which the report added was a confidential matter. We think they might finally share details regarding the plan and its development at the conference.

New Oculus VR headsets

Oculus recently gave the world their first glimpse at two of their latest virtual reality (VR) headsets – the Oculus Quest and the Oculus Rift S.

With the two slated to hit markets sometime this spring, news outlets have speculated that they would be launched at the conference.

The Oculus Quest is a standalone VR headset that doesn’t require you to connect it to a phone or a PC. The Oculus Rift S, meanwhile, is described as an upgraded version of the original Rift, boasting better visuals and a more comfortable design.

We’ll likely hear more about what else these two headsets have to offer during its launch.

Annual hackathon

Once again, we’ll be seeing some new ideas from developers outside Facebook in the company’s annual F8 hackathon. 

It will host developers from all over the world, hoping to give some outside perspective to Facebook and the many challenges the platform faces. They will be competing to “build on the latest technology and unlock the potential of Facebook’s family of apps,” says the F8 website. 

VR livestream

Facebook for the first time in F8’s 10-year history is reportedly letting you stream the keynote in VR.

Those who own Oculus Go and Gear VR headsets can access the stream in VR via the Oculus Venues app, but it’s unclear whether other headsets, including the Oculus Rift, can do so as well.

Meanwhile, those who want a non-VR stream can sign up at https://www.f8.com/watch  to get notified when the stream is available. The keynote is scheduled for April 30, 10AM PDT or May 1, 1AM Philippine time.– Rappler.com