Facebook is working on a stand-alone virtual reality video app

Facebook Inc. is vying to bring virtual reality to your phone. The social network is working on a stand-alone video app that would support 360-degree or “spherical” videos, people familiar with the matter said. The format, typically compiled from multiple cameras, allows users to change their viewing perspective by tilting their phones. As conceived, the app would work on many platforms including Apple Inc.’s devices and those using Google Inc.’s Android operating system. Development of the app is in early stages and it is unclear when or if the app will launch, said the people, who declined to be named discussing the confidential project. Facebook declined to comment. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly called virtual reality the next “computing platform” after mobile devices. Hype around virtual reality has waxed and waned over the last three decades, but Facebook’s $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR last year sparked renewed interest and investment in the sector. In March, Mr. Zuckerberg said Facebook would support spherical video in its news feed, saying users would be able to “move around inside the video and view it from different angles.”