Facebook gets more colorful: Meta AI animates profile pictures and posts

Meta wants to make Facebook more attractive to younger users and is introducing new AI-powered animation and transformation features for profile pictures, text posts, and other photos. The changes will be rolled out gradually, the company announced in a blog post. If these are well received, the social network is likely to present itself much more animated, but it will also be harder to distinguish between real and AI-generated images.

The AI-powered animation feature, introduced on February 10, is used to transform static profile pictures into moving images. There are five preset animation styles to choose from: “Natural” (natural movement), "Party Hat" (party hat appears), “Confetti” (confetti falls), “Wave” (waving motion), and “Heart” (heart animation). Meta plans to release more animations throughout the year. These will be based on seasons and special events, among other things.

Restyle and animated text posts

To achieve optimal results, a photo with a single person looking directly at the camera is recommended. The face should be clearly visible, and the person should not be holding any objects in their hands. Photos can be uploaded from the smartphone gallery as usual. Photos already stored on Facebook can also be used. Animated profile pictures will be visible in the profile and shareable in the feed.

With the new Restyle function, Facebook aims to achieve a new aesthetic in Stories and Memories. Users can choose from predefined categories or create their own style using text prompts. In addition to graphic styles such as anime or illustration, the suggestions also include moods, color schemes, and backgrounds such as a beach or a cityscape. The function is available after uploading a photo to Stories or when sharing Memories in Stories.

Facebook will expand the existing color backgrounds for text posts to include animated backgrounds in the future. Examples include falling leaves or ocean waves. Meta announces that it will also offer seasonal backgrounds in the future, so that posts can appear more contemporary and festive.

Fewer and fewer young users

In 2025, Facebook recorded 3.07 billion monthly active users worldwide, with 2.11 billion active daily. However, over the years, the Meta network has seen a significant decline in younger users. Most recently, 36 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds had access to Facebook, compared to almost 70 percent in 2017. Younger users prefer to use TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.

(mki)