Meet The New Gadget From Facebook, Portal

When Facebook first stepped into the world of hardware, most people did not expect the company to build a video calling gadget for the living room. Yet that is exactly what happened with the Facebook Portal, a device made purely to help people talk to their friends and family through a big screen and a smart camera.

Over the years the product went through several changes, including a rebrand to Meta Portal, and today it sits at a very different stage of its life than when it first launched. This article looks at what the device actually offers, how it works, and where things stand for anyone who already owns one or is thinking about it.

What Is Facebook Portal

Facebook Portal is a smart display built around one main purpose, and that is video calling. It comes with a wide camera, a sizable screen, and built-in software that keeps the person on screen in focus even while they move around the room.

The idea behind it was simple. Not everyone wants to hold up a phone during a long call, and a dedicated screen sitting on a kitchen counter or a bedside table makes the whole experience feel more natural, almost like a window into another room rather than a phone call.

Meta Portal Device Models You Should Know

Over its lifetime, the company released a handful of versions of the device, and each one had its own place. The original Portal had a smaller screen suited for a hallway table or a desk, while the Portal Plus carried a bigger display that could tilt between an upright and a wide view with a light push.

There was also a Portal TV meant to plug into a television and turn any TV into a calling screen, and a Portal Go that added a battery so people could carry it from room to room without needing a socket nearby. Families often bought two units together, one for themselves and one for grandparents living far away, since setting up a call between two Portals took only a voice command.

Facebook Portal Features That Made It Stand Out

The strongest of the Facebook Portal features was its camera work. A wide lens captured almost the entire room, but the moment someone stepped in front of it, the device cropped the frame and followed that person on its own, the same way a camera operator would follow a subject during a shoot.

Alongside this, the device supported voice activation, so calls could be started by saying a wake phrase followed by the name of the contact. When the screen was not in use, it doubled as a digital photo frame that cycled through pictures from a connected Facebook account, which many users found to be a nice touch during idle hours. Music streaming, story time features for kids, and access to Facebook Watch videos rounded out the rest of the experience, though these extras were always secondary to the core calling function.

How Facebook Portal Works

At its core, a Facebook Portal device works over your home Wi-Fi connection and links to Messenger, so anyone with a Messenger account could receive a call even without owning a Portal themselves.

The onboard camera and microphone array used basic tracking so that as someone walked from one end of a room to the other, the frame adjusted without needing anyone to press a button.

A physical cover was included to slide over the lens, which addressed privacy concerns from people uneasy about a camera sitting in their living room all day. Setup usually involved connecting the device to a home network, logging into a Facebook or Messenger account, and granting a few permissions, after which calling worked almost the same way it does on a phone, just on a much bigger screen.

During a call, the microphones picked up sound from across the room, so a person did not need to sit close to the screen or speak loudly for the other side to hear clearly. Some models also let two calls happen almost side by side through a split screen, which came in handy on birthdays or festivals when several relatives wanted to join in from different houses.

None of this needed any special skill to operate, and that was really the point of the whole device, since it was built for grandparents and kids just as much as for anyone comfortable with gadgets.

Where Facebook Portal Stands Today

This is the part that anyone researching the device in 2026 should know before buying one or expecting new features. Meta stopped selling Portal to regular customers back in 2022, choosing instead to put its hardware budget elsewhere. Since then, the company has slowly pulled back the extras that once made the screen useful beyond calling.

Alexa support and the “Hey Portal” voice command were switched off, third party apps such as Zoom were removed, and even the photo frame mode was retired in early 2026. What remains is a fairly narrow set of functions, where existing units can still be used to call family and friends through Facebook and Messenger, and the company has said it will keep offering basic support to owners, but no new Portal hardware or software updates are planned.

Anyone who already has a unit at home can still use it for calls, though it is worth going in with the understanding that this is a device near the end of its working life rather than a growing product.

Should You Still Consider a Facebook Portal Device

If someone already owns one, there is little reason to stop using it for calls, since that core function still works and is unlikely to disappear overnight. For someone weighing a first purchase today, the picture looks different.

A tablet propped on a stand, or a phone paired with a simple mount, can offer much of the same video calling experience through WhatsApp, Google Meet, or Messenger itself, usually with a screen the household already owns.

The camera tracking that once made Portal special is no longer as rare either, since many modern phones and smart displays from other brands now offer similar auto framing during calls. So while the device still has a niche use for households that value a dedicated always ready screen, it is fair to say its best days as a shopping recommendation are behind it.

A Quick Look Back

It is worth remembering why the Facebook video calling device caught attention in the first place. At launch, the combination of a wide lens, automatic framing, and a screen built only for calling was fairly new to home hardware, and it genuinely made calls with distant relatives feel warmer than a phone screen propped against a coffee mug on a kitchen table. Bharatstories had covered the launch of this gadget when it first came out, describing it as Facebook’s answer to keeping families connected despite distance, and that description still holds up as a fair summary of what the device was trying to do, even though the product itself has since been scaled back a great deal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Facebook Portal still being sold?

No, Meta stopped selling new Portal units to regular customers at the end of 2022, and there are no plans for a next generation model.

Can I still use my old Meta Portal for video calls?

Yes, existing devices can still be used to call friends and family through Facebook and Messenger, and the company continues to offer basic customer support for owners.

Does Facebook Portal work without a Facebook account?

You need a Facebook or Messenger login to set up and use the device, though the person you are calling does not need a Portal of their own, only a Messenger account on their phone or computer.

What happened to the photo frame feature on Portal?

The photo frame mode, which showed pictures from a connected account when the screen was idle, was removed in January 2026 as part of Meta’s ongoing cutback of Portal features.

Is there a good alternative to Facebook Portal today?

A tablet on a stand or a smart display from another brand running Messenger, WhatsApp, or Google Meet can cover most of the same ground for people who no longer want to depend on Portal hardware.