So, my Droid told me today that I needed a Facebook update…in a really sneaky way. It showed up at the top of my news feed. Like Facebook was one of my friends. I checked throughout the day, and there it was. Always at the top of my news feed. Thinking it might never go away, I relented and downloaded the update.
At first, I thought, “Wow. This is a lot better.” It’s so much faster, and so much more like Facebook on a regular computer.
But then, creepiness. I went to find friends, and it somehow synced with all of the people in my phone. I had copied some work contacts onto my personal phone, so there was my work network on Facebook...with photos. This really, REALLY creeped me out. I like the new app, but wish Facebook hadn’t gone into my contacts and then found them all on Facebook. What's creepier is that all of the photos matched perfectly. Not one was wrong.
Yes, I had to acknowledge the update's permissions before downloading, but some customizable privacy permissions would have been nice. Is some privacy a bad thing? I don't like that Facebook knows who all of my contacts are. That's perhaps taking things too far. They may be feeling the pressure from Google+, but a little restraint or forewarning would be nice. Now, how can I go back to the old version?
Facebook for Android got a long overdue update tonight (perhaps the final push was Mark Zuckerberg’s installing the Android app himself last week?), after playing second fiddle to the iOS version for far too long. The updated app gains some of the iPhone’s client look and feel, but also adds a draggable Notifications drawer and a new photo reel showing pictures and videos from friends.
The new client for Android supports more actions from the main screen. You can now respond to friend requests in the app, for example. There’s also a one-touch button to post a status update, support for Events — including RSVP in the app — and the new photo reel along the bottom. A Facebook spokesperson told me via email that the new client now supports in-app video playback that uses H.264 encoding, although I haven’t tried videos just yet. None of my friends are camera-happy today, it seems.
Android device owners that already have Facebook installed will see an update in the Android Market now. There’s still room for improvement here — I’m thinking support for Facebook chat and contact groups — but overall, the overhaul is welcome. And the Notification shade is a nice play on the native Android notifications, allowing Facebook users to be informed, but not overwhelmed with new information from their friends. After missing the fuller-featured app when I moved from iOS to Android in January, I’m ecstatic that I now have a richer Facebook experience — consider that a warning to all of my Facebook friends that I’ll be annoying them far more often now.
Many of the updates seem designed to keep users in the application longer. That’s not a bad thing — I personally prefer to stay in apps instead of bouncing out to the web for related features. Though like other Facebook mobile products, the new Android client doesn’t yet have ads, Android’s massive growing user base combined with increased engagement could make a killer platform for mobile revenue opportunities.
