Facebook tests automatic ‘Photo Sync’ uploads on Android

Facebook has begun testing a new feature for Android owners that syncs photos you shoot on your phone straight to your Facebook account. It’s a hybrid of Google+‘s instant photo-upload feature and Apple’s Photostream, which uploads any picture you take to the cloud and syncs it with your other iOS devices and computers. With Facebook’s Photo Sync, any time you take a picture on your Android device, the photo uploads but remains private inside a “Synced from Phone” tab inside the social network’s new Photos page.

The “Photo Sync” feature appears to be only rolling out to select users — a common tactic Facebook employs when deciding what products are ready for prime time. Tech pundit and Rackspace evangelist Robert Scoble spotted the feature a few weeks ago, and now, a number of users have reported seeing the feature added to their account. Facebook confirmed to The Verge that it was testing the new feature (which has its own Facebook Help Center page) on a “really small” scale, but didn’t comment on whether it will roll out worldwide or remain in testing. Facebook most recently updated its Android app with batch photo uploading.

To check if it’s available to you, head to your Timeline on Facebook for Android, tap Photos, and then tap Sync (if the button exists).