This article was originally posted on Doniree.com as part of a monthly social media marketing series. Head over to her blog to learn more about community management and social media.
Everything You Need To Know About Facebook Home
What is the first app you open on your smartphone when you’re bored? If Facebook is the answer, you’re among 751 million mobile users who access Facebook from their mobile device, according to official press numbers from the first part of 2013. Unreal, right?
Remember when Facebook was just an exclusive desktop social network for college students? (Check out this infographic for more fun history of Facebook.)And the only way you could access your profile was through the login screen at Facebook.com?
Then came the mobile site, the iPhone app, followed by Android app and now Facebook introduces Facebook Home. Facebook Home revolutionizes the way we interact with the apps on our phones. It literally brings you one step closer to your favorite social network, without the click of a button.
By setting Facebook as your default home screen on your mobile phone, Facebook Home is the closest thing to the rumored Facebook phone.
The new Facebook Home also works when the device is locked too, showing you status updates and photos of your friends when your phone isn’t in use. This feature is called Cover Feed and makes it easier than ever to keep tabs on your friends and family.
Personally, I think this function is taking quick Facebook access a bit too far. I tend to leave my phone put in meetings and meal times and it would be distracting to see all the photos and status updates of my network all day long. Another major feature users will notice immediately is something called Chat Heads. This name is super funky don’t you think?
Basically Chat Heads allows your chats and messages follow you around your device, instead of just living within in the app itself. For example if you’re in Instagram posting photos, you can still continue chatting with your Facebook friend, without being inside the Facebook app. Little profile bubbles pop up on your screen and at first glance it seems intrusive, until you figure out how to get rid of them. (Hint, drag the bubble to the bottom of your screen near the X to close the chat)
@andreagenevieve it makes FB chat far more friendly & useful by layering it on top of everything, & layering wasn’t done in an invasive way — Anthony Leung (@meanwritehook) May 9, 2013
Sounds like Facebook wants you to think your phone was made just for Facebooking and not for talking- right? What did I say, the closest thing we’ve seen to a Facebook mobile phone.
There are some other features to Facebook Home, one called Apps Launcher which lets you launch other apps from Facebook Home. Duh. Thanks Facebook for saving us even more milliseconds of time when we need to close your app. If you want to see Facebook Home in action, this video will walk you through Chat Heads and Cover Feed to show you what is looks like in action.
For now, Facebook Home is available preinstalled on installed on the HTC First phone, but available for download on most Andriod devices including HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung GALAXY S III and Samsung GALAXY Note II. Sadly, (or not so sadly) Facebook home isn’t coming to iOS.
But, if you’re an iPhone user like me, we do have a version of Chat Heads. It’s a simpler version, since it doesn’t follow you out of the app. However, it also doesn’t limit conversations to just the message tab either. This is a strategic and smart decision on Facebook’s part, since Android runs on open source technology. This means that apps can be shaped, molded and built off other preexisting code or apps, instead of being locked in to one format of programming as developers are with iPhones, iPads and iOS platform.
Do you have it? What do you think of it? Will you get it or consider Facebook Home the next time you need to upgrade your device? Leave a comment and share your thoughts. Will you make Facebook your new Home?
