• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, May 2, 2018

After more than a month of terrible press for Facebook, this year’s F8 was supposed to be a modest affair. While light on controversy, the first day of the company’s developer conference was anything but low-key.

In case you missed it, here’s a rundown of Day 1’s more notable news:

Facebook is building a new feature dubbed Clear History. Users will be able to see the websites and apps that share their data, as well as delete this data — and shut off Facebook’s ability to store it.

Facebook is building a feature for dating and relationships within its flagship app. With it, users will be able to create a dating profile that is separate from their Facebook profile. Potential matches will be recommended, based on dating preferences, things in common, and mutual friends. Users will also have the option to discover others with similar interests through their Groups or Events.

Later this year, Facebook said it plans to roll out a Crisis Response feature, which will let people affected by a crisis share firsthand accounts of timely information, like road closures and damage photos and videos.

Facebook announced Blood Donations to make it easier for people who want to donate to find opportunities nearby.

Instagram is getting the AR camera platform. Using AR Studio, creators will be able to design unique, interactive camera experiences, including face filters and world effects, for their followers on Instagram.

Instagram is also getting Video Chat, which will let people connect in real-time via video. Instagram is redesigning Explore to make it easier to discover things of interest to individual users. Among other changes, the new Explore will organize suggested content into relevant topic channels.

In the new few months, WhatsApp will be getting a group calling and a stickers feature. 

On Messenger, brands now have the ability to integrate AR camera effects. For example, developers will be able to build experiences that let users virtually customize or try on merchandise.

Buyers and sellers in Marketplace -- a place on Facebook to buy and sell things locally -- will be able to communicate across languages with M suggestions for translations.

Oculus Go Available Now – Oculus’ first standalone VR headset -- is available globally, starting at $199. Oculus is adding a Venues service for users to virtually experience live happenings, including concerts, sporting events and comedy shows.

Oculus Rooms has been redesigned with the launch of Oculus Go, so friends can play board games, watch movies, and engage in other activities. Oculus also added a TV service for small groups of people to enjoy live or on-demand content.