Facebook smiley update

If you like a friend's post on Facebook, soon all you may have to do is smile and they will know.

Facebook has purchased FacioMetrics, a facial recognition software firm, in a push to integrate the technology into the platform.

By scanning the faces of millions of users around the world, the software could measure reactions to develop gesture-based controls, such as smiling for a like.

'How people share and communicate is changing and things like masks and other effects allow people to express themselves in fun and creative ways,' a Facebook spokesperson told press agency AFP.

WHAT CAN FACEBOOK DO WITH FACIAL RECOGNITION? 

Facebook has been rolling out new ways for users to share content and interact for a while.

Newly acquired FacioMetrics says that its potential applications include augmented reality, animation and measuring audience reaction.

This could mean better filters, stickers and sliders for multimedia - competing with Snapchat.

It could also potentially help Facebook to measure how users are reacting to comment by reading expressions, blinks, and where they are looking.

By combining the approach with deep learning, mobile users could potentially control the platform with facial movements.