Facebook is bringing photo filters to all phones, leveling the Instagram advantage

According to a post by Facebook Brasil, the company is adding photo filters to its mobile apps:

“As part of our ongoing efforts to create a better Facebook mobile experience across all devices, we are excited to announce that the Facebook for Every Phone app now has TWO filters, SEPIA AND BLACK & WHITE, for your mobile photos.”

The move is an interesting one, given the company’s recent $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, which is available on both iOS and Android. Facebook appears to want to level the playing field a bit for the rest of its mobile users by bringing the filters to its Java app, Facebook for Every Phone.

What’s also worth noting is that Facebook has been planning the filters for nearly a year, as noted by Nick Bilton of the New York Times. Though when Bilton published his story in August of 2011, it was seen as a move toward Instagram’s ground, to which Facebook now lays claim.

The filters themselves? Here’s a peek:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Every month, over 500 million people are using Facebook’s mobile apps, but the company has stated in its S-1 filing for its impending IPO that the revenue numbers from these users aren’t high. At any rate, with a $1.06 billion last quarter, even a fraction of that cash is well worth catering toward.