How To: Make Fun Looping Facebook Messenger Videos with Boomerang

Boomerangs are a staple camera feature for Instagram and its users. The idea is to take up to 20 frames of video, which Instagram then processes into a looping movie that plays forward and backward. Since Facebook owns Instagram, it was only a matter of time before the feature hit its namesake apps, so it's not surprising that Messenger now supports the popular camera technique.

Facebook announced on Monday, Dec. 17, that both Boomerang and selfie portraits would be rolling out to the Messenger app. While the core functionality of Boomerang is the same across Instagram and Messenger, you'll notice some subtle differences between how Messenger implements Boomerang.

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To access Boomerang in Messenger, just open your camera by tapping the camera button at the bottom of the display. Then, swipe over on the feature carousel to "Boomerang." Accept any popups, line up your subject, then tap the infinity button on-screen or hold and release if you want to control the number of frames taken. You can take up to 20 frames of video.

Once Messenger takes the Boomerang, it will process it, then display it for you to watch. You can save the Boomerang to your gallery by tapping "Save," add to your story by tapping "Your Story," or customize it with stickers, text, or drawings using the three buttons at the top right. On Android, you can trim your Boomerang with the "Trim" button, while on iOS this option creates a Poll.

When you're ready to share, tap the big arrow in the bottom-right corner of the display. You can choose where to send the Boomerang using the options on-screen, including your Messenger or Facebook story, or to friends in Messenger. Tap the blue share arrow to complete the process. If you want to scrap the Boomerang, tap the back button in the top-left corner.

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