Facebook now lets users take 360 degree photos and use them as cover photos

Facebook already allows uploading and viewing of 360-degree photos on its platform but from today you can start capturing them too. From today, both the iOS and Android apps will allow users to create 360-degree photos without using any third-party app, which could then be used as Cover Photos.

As our phones don’t have 360-degree cameras built in yet, the process resembles how you create panoramas in your phone’s camera app. ''Place yourself at the center of the experience and use "360 Photo" through the Facebook app to take a full 360-degree panorama," the company said.

Here's how you can take 360-degree images on your phone :

1. Open the Facebook app and click the ‘360 Photo’ option from the top of your News Feed where you update your status.

2. Press the blue button and follow the path from start to finish until you’ve taken a complete panorama.

3. Select your preferred ‘starting view’ within the photo and share.

Since that capture process isn’t instantaneous, the update only applies to 360-degree photos for now. While Facebook supports 360-degree videos, you’ll still need to shoot those with a camera like the Samsung Gear 360, Insta360, or Nikon KeyMission 360, and upload them separately.