Facebook’s Portal is getting WhatsApp support and launching internationally

Facebook announced at its annual F8 developer conference today that its Portal and Portal Plus video calling devices will soon be available in Canada and Europe, starting this fall. The device will also support WhatsApp calls, and all calls will have end-to-end encryption.

The $199 Portal and the larger $349 Portal Plus launched last year at a time when consumer trust in Facebook was waning after a string of privacy scandals, and the product had to be delayed for several months in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data breach. Despite this, Facebook shared onstage today that Portal sales have exceeded expectations, and it’s notable that the company is expanding distribution for the product.

Among some of the other features announced today are the ability to add photos from your Instagram to Superframes, which previously only displayed photos from your Facebook feed. The feature is available now, and users will be able to add photos from their camera rolls through the new Portal mobile app this summer. You’ll also be able to stream yourself through Facebook Live on Portal later this year.

Facebook confirmed earlier this month that it’s working on an AI voice assistant for the Portal, in order to better compete against products like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The Portal does have some rudimentary voice features already, but it’ll be getting more visual features and Alexa skills like flash briefings later this year.

:story: The Verge