As 2016 rolls to a close, we all can agree this year has been a tough one. That's why it's especially cool that Facebook is releasing a (literally) bright new feature. What's more, learning how to post colorful Facebook statuses is — thankfully — nice and easy. True, Facebook isn't allowing us to redesign everything on our pages; however, colorful Facebook statuses are definitely a step in a fun direction. I don't know about you, but for me, they take me straight back to my '90s Myspace days of customizing my profile and selecting my page's fonts, colors, and layout. (Bustle has reached out to Facebook for more information.)
Update: Says a Facebook spokesperson to Bustle via email, “We're rolling out a change to help people make their text posts more visual. Starting today, people can update the background color of their text-only posts on Android.” The rollout begins the week of Dec. 19 (so, this week, for those keeping track).
Earlier: There is some bad news, though: Not everyone has access to the feature right now. According to TechCrunch, right now, only Android users have the ability to create colorful statuses, although all users will be able to see them; what's more, although the feature will be rolling out globally soon, it's only being tested in certain regions.
But as of right now, it appears that users who do have access to the feature have a decent amount of color options to choose from. For example, you can go with a solid color or a gradient style that has a bit more pop to it. It does look like the text will always remain white, though; so, you can't have, for example, a status with both red text and a red background. Ah well.
Personally, I'm super interested in how the Facebook algorithm actually works. You know how sometimes your posts gets tons of attention, and other times they seem to fade the abyss? I'm curious to see how colored backgrounds impact the way people read and react to our content, and if there will be correlations between the colors we choose and the popularity of the post. Time will tell!
So, how do you post a colorful status on Facebook? Luckily, the steps are quite straightforward. I've broken them down below in hopes that putting some color into our social media will brighten the end of 2016 at least a little bit.
1Live In The Right Location
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but as of right now, this feature is still in the testing phase and as tends to be the norm, this means that it isn't released everywhere yet. According to TechCrunch, this feature has only been released to select Facebook users.
2Use An Android Device
Sorry, iPhone users! As of right now, it appears that this feature is only rolling out on Android devices. However, according to The Tech Portal, everyone will be able to see your colored background whether they use Android, iOs, or any other device.
3Update Your Facebook App
As is the norm with these new features, you should always double check that your Facebook app is running the latest version. You can do this by going to the Google Play store or the iTunes store, accordingly. If your phone is set to update apps automatically, you should be all set!
4Go To Your Newsfeed
Once you open Facebook, go to your newsfeed and find the "status" bar at the top of the screen. This should look as it normally does, giving you the option to choose your privacy settings, tag a location, and so forth.
5Type Your Status
First tap "What's on your mind?", then tap in the message box to create your post. If you have the updated feature available, you'll see that when you begin to type your status, a series of colored dots are available just below your text. These colors allow you to change the background of your status so they are more eye-catching and better fit your aesthetic. As you can see above, the text always appears white.
