You can now make your Facebook profile picture a GIF

September 30, 2015

Facebook just launched a slew of new profile features, including the ability to make your profile picture a GIF or set temporary profile pictures that will change after a specified amount of time.

The new feature means you can shoot a short, looping clip that will play whenever someone visits your profile (technically, Facebook’s calling them “profile videos”).

“Profile videos will let show a part of yourself you couldn’t before, and add a (literal!) new dimension to your profile,” the company writes in its blog post on the news.

Here’s how a profile GIF could look:

via GIPHY

Facebook’s also making it more convenient for people to change their profile picture briefly, for example around a time-specific event like the Superbowl or a vacation, and then set a time for it to automatically change back. Think of it like a profile picture timer of sorts. When Facebook released its Celebrate Pride rainbow profile picture filter, for example, 26 million people used it, but then had to grapple with when to change back to their old picture. Now, they could specifically designate a one-week window at the outset.

Here’s what a temporary profile picture could look like:

You can also now pull more information to the top of your profile, including a new, one-line “bio” section, info about where you work, and up to five “featured photos.” All of that info will be showcased at the top of your profile.

Facebook is also changing the way Facebook profiles look on mobile by centering profile pictures. Here’s what they will look like now: