Facebook adds photo filters to iOS 5.1 app

Facebook's version 5.1 iOS mobile app includes multiple new features, such as Gift giving, as well as one they seemingly forgot to mention: photo filters. This, of course, comes a few days after sources stated that Twitter is planning on adding photo filters to its own mobile app in competition of Instagram, which Facebook owns. The photo filters addition wasn't mentioned in the app's "What's New" details.

Facebook launched the app "Facebook Camera" earlier this year, a dedicated app for taking and filtering photos, then uploading them to the social network. Now the functionality of this standalone app has been merged with the main iOS app. Users can apply one of several different filters to images, including Neon, B + W, Highlight, and Boost.

In addition to merging the photo filters into version 5.1 for iOS, Facebook has also added a multi-photo upload feature. By combining these two features, individuals who use Instagram to upload to Facebook might find that they no longer need the former in favor of using the new integrated features. Facebook acquired Instagram earlier this year for $715 million.

In addition to the photo features, version 5.1 for iOS also brings with it the ability to buy Gifts, something previously only available to Android and online users. Also added is the easy ability to see what friends are chat by swiping left. Friends you chat with most often are located at the top of the list, and in case that's not enough, there's also a Favorites option.

[via Tech Crunch]