Bland and undeniably brief, those simple “HBD” messages from Facebook friends do a poor job of filling you with the kind of joy and happiness usually associated with such an occasion.
Hoping to infuse a little more charm and cheer into the special day, the social networking giant has just introduced a “birthday video cam” for its mobile app so you can knock together a snappy message for your buddy to wish them all the best.
Currently for iOS users but coming to Android soon, the feature lets you quickly record a 15-second birthday greeting that you can jazz up with an overlay before posting it on your friend’s wall.
Facebook’s birthday-alert feature is one of the platform’s most-used offerings, so it’s kind of surprising the company hasn’t rolled out something like this sooner, even more so when you consider how video has become a central part of the company’s expansion efforts over the last 18 months.
“We wanted to find a new way for close friends to post something fun and as quickly as possible,” Facebook’s Henry Soong said of the new feature, adding, “Having [friends] post ‘HBD’ on my wall is awesome, but what’s better than to actually see someone wishing you ‘Happy Birthday?'”
It’s certainly a lot more personal, and we imagine the new feature will be a hit with Facebook users – both senders and recipients.