Facebook unveils Home software for Android phones

PanARMENIAN.Net - Facebook is releasing software that puts feeds from the social network on the home screen of Android phones, according to BBC News.

The software will act like a "wrapper" for the Android operating system and become the main way to use a phone. Notifications, images and messages will appear on the main screen of the phone instead of being accessible via a downloadable app.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said the change would put people, not apps, at the heart of the mobile experience.

In a presentation given at Facebook's campus, Zuckerberg said phone apps were a legacy of the computer world in which people clicked on an icon to start a program.

While this worked well with desktops and laptops, it made less sense with phones, he said.

"Now there's a new use case that's more and more important," he said. "We have our phones with us all the time and we want to know more what's happening to our friends."

Facebook's Home software will hide apps and instead pipe all the content and chat carried on via the social network to the home screen.

The software "wrapper" will also change the way that people swap messages or content by letting them respond by tapping on pop-up images, known as chat heads, rather than opening up apps and navigating through menus.

The software will be available via Google's Play Store as a download and will work only with phones running Android 4.0 or higher. Facebook home will be available from 12 April on six phones - three from HTC and three from Samsung. Only four of these handsets are available now. The others are set to launch alongside Facebook home.

No information was given about whether home would be re-developed to work with Apple or Microsoft phones.

Facebook said users could try the software rather than have to commit to use it all the time. Initially, the code will only be available for phones but a version for tablets is under development.