A staple for many, the often maligned Facebook app for iOS received a major update today. In fact, the app was completely rebuilt as a native iOS app. As a result, version 5.0 promises a much faster experience. There are also several new features that you can expect with this update.
- Scrolling through news feed is faster than ever
- New banner lets you tap to quickly see more stories – no need to refresh
- Photos open fast and close with one downward swipe
- Instant access to your notifications
App Store reviews have been decidedly positive since the update was released earlier today. The speed improvements are noticeable, if only because the previous version of Facebook had a propensity to be dog slow. When you swipe down on a photo it neatly pops back into your timeline, which is a very nice UI touch. The app itself feels slightly more polished, retaining much of overall look and feel.
If you are a casual or frequent Facebook user, you’ll want to download this app.
[app url="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/facebook/id284882215?mt=8"]
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In most respects, I like the update so far. However, it did start showing the wrong profile pic…though I don’t know if that was ONLY within the app or if it somehow switched the profile pic on the account itself. I was able to switch it back via the mobile app and did so before I could check my profile on the computer.
Other than that, though…definitely feels a little more responsive.
Actually, it’s been doing that for a while even before the 5.0 update. I noticed it changes to a pages pic that I had previously “liked”. It’s weird but it wasn’t brought about by this update. I love the new update. Soooo fast. It was long overdue.