Tag: facebook app

Facebook Admits its App is Sucking Your iPhone’s Battery Dry

Last week we had mentioned that the Facebook app for iOS may be the reason why your iPhone’s battery is draining faster than usual. Facebook has now confirmed that it is indeed their iOS app that is causing the battery issue. Many users have reported that the Facebook app in the battery menu shows as consuming quite a bit of battery even when usage is at a minimum.

“We found a few key issues and have identified additional improvements, some of which are in the version of the app that was released today,” wrote Facebook’s Ari Grant yesterday.

The first issue we found was a “CPU spin” in our network code. A CPU spin is like a child in a car asking, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”with the question not resulting in any progress to reaching the destination. This repeated processing causes our app to use more battery than intended. The version released today has some improvements that should start making this better.

Indeed, Facebook did come out with an iOS update yesterday (as it usually does every 2 weeks for improvement in speed and reliability). The update description did not mention any ‘bug’ fixes, but going by the word of Grant, you may start seeing some improvements once you’ve updated the app.

Another issue for battery drain is due to the way Facebook handles audio playback. “If you leave the Facebook app after watching a video, the audio session sometimes stays open as if the app was playing audio silently. This is similar to when you close a music app and want to keep listening to the music while you do other things, except in this case it was unintentional and nothing kept playing. The app isn’t actually doing anything while awake in the background, but it does use more battery simply by being awake,” Grant said, promising that their new fixes will solve this issue and will remove background audio completely.

You can download the update now, if you haven’t already. Don’t expect the update to solve all the battery issues at once. It may take a couple of more updates for Facebook to completely be rid of bugs that are sucking all the juice.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”https://www.facebook.com/arig/posts/10105815276466163?pnref=story”]Facebook[/tw-button]

October 23, 2015
This Could Be The Reason Your iPhone’s Battery Is Dying On You

Has your iPhone been dying on you faster than usual? Facebook could be the reason for it. The company recently confirmed that its iOS app is causing serious battery drain issues and is working to fix it. Apparently, the app continues to run in the background even when your Background App Refresh is turned off.

A spokesperson for Facebook gave a statement to TechCrunch confirming the issue and promising that the company will fix the problem soon.

“We have heard reports of some people experiencing battery issues with our iOS app. We’re looking into this and hope to have a fix in place soon,” the spokesperson said.

The reason behind the battery drain is not yet known. While some believe that it could be due to Facebook’s new update that allows for autoplay of videos, other believe that this does not take up battery any more than the previous version did.

Facebook hasn’t commented on the various theories around why the app has been gulping down battery, and has only stated that they’re working to fix it. Whether this is a bug or ‘audio hijacking’ as some conspiracy theories suggest is something only the company would know about. If you find yourself facing the same issue, be patient. For now, you can ditch the iOS app and log on to Facebook through the mobile web until Facebook comes out with a new update.

October 18, 2015
Here’s How Facebook Would Like to Replace Google

When browsing through mobile, it is quite a task to open a website, copying the link, switching between the apps and pasting it on your Facebook status bar. For many users, this is quite a cumbersome job. According to TechCrunch, to change the experiences for its mobile users, Facebook is working on an internal test search engine for its mobile app.

TechCrunch spotted that a few iOS users saw a new ‘Add a Link’ button next to buttons that we use to add photos, location and feelings. Upon writing down a word in the search engine, a list of related and matching links shows up that can be shared to your wall along with a caption. Using this feature, users will be able to bypass search engine while searching for content and give the social media giant a rich data of analytics of the type of content being explored and shared in a series of detailed statistics.

This move by Facebook may throw a hard brick on Google. On the other hand, Google has also allowed users to order food from its search results and add tweets. Apple, too, mentioned about the AppleBot on its support page, indicating an all-new Apple Search on Safari and other search related apps on iOS and OSX environment. This may set up an entirely new bar for search engines.

There are no words when this feature will roll out for the rest of its mobile users. For now, only a handful of iOS users has access to this new tool.

May 11, 2015
You Will Never Miss Out on Your Friend’s Posts With Facebook’s Improved News Feed

Facebook announced today that they will be changing and reconfiguring their website’s News Feed section. The social networking site has applied three changes and aims to supply information about the people ‘you care about’.

One of the main changes to the Facebook layout will be that your News Feed will first prioritise your closer friends. Photo or a Status put up by them will be placed higher in the News Feed so that it won’t be missed out.

The second change is that the rules for seeing multiple posts from the same source has been toned down. This modification has been done for people who do not have much content to view. Now, you will never reach the ‘end’ of a News Feed easily.

Finally, the last change would be that you will see lesser posts of your friends liking or commenting on other friend’s posts. These stories will be pushed further down the News Feed so that you first see the posts or photos of the people you care about more.

The only downfall would be that Facebook Pages may get compromised. Facebook states in its blog:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Facebook Official Blog”]

The impact of these changes on your page’s distribution will vary considerably depending on the composition of your audience and your posting activity. In some cases, post reach and referral traffic could potentially decline. Overall, pages should continue to post things that your audience finds meaningful and continue using our Page’s best practices.

[/quote]

Facebook has asked Web Publishers and Page Managers to visit their blog to know more about page feeds and posts under the new circumstances. Click here to visit the blog.

April 22, 2015
The First Glimpse at How Facebook Plans to Integrate WhatsApp

It’s barely been a few days since Facebook gave an adrenaline boost to its Messenger platform by opening it for third-party developers. The independent platform gave users freedom to interact with businesses and made it an all-around service. The social networking giant is now making one more modification to the messaging tool that will incorporate WhatsApp to Facebook.

According to a report by Geek Time, Facebook is testing a new feature on its app for Android operating system that will mark the first major integration of WhatsApp to it parent company Facebook. The company has reportedly added a ‘Send’ button to Facebook’s latest version 31.0.0.7.13. The new feature is a part of the status actions buttons that appear beneath every status update, and it looks exactly like the WhatsApp icon.

As per the source, the button is spotted at the right side of the window for some users (for left-to-right languages) in the recent update. The pictures depicting the new feature inclusion is provided below:

It’s just the first glimpse at how Facebook is planning to play its WhatsApp acquisition. The same report also confirms of a deeper integration between the two that would allow users to send messages directly from Facebook Messenger to WhatsApp. It took Facebook more than a year to merge its buyout with its central tool, but it seems like the parent firm was mulling over on how to use it wisely. The social networking tool seems to be making slow but steady moves, towards becoming the ruler of the messaging market.

Without leaving its ground, Facebook is firming its grasp into several other domains as well. Recently, we reported that Facebook is also developing a new caller ID and call blocking tool ‘Phone‘ and has built a solar-powered drone to beam down internet to the earth.

April 6, 2015
Facebook Acquires Onavo To Speed Up Its Mobile Application

Facebook announced on Monday it has acquired Onavo, an Israel based startup focused on intelligence around mobile application data. For more than three years, Onavo has plied its trade reducing internet costs for smartphone users.

Under Facebook’s guidance, Onavo will work with members of the Internet.org coalition to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of web access. Expect Facebook’s apps to get a speed boost in the future, helping it deliver its growing influx of ads. Users if Onavo app may not worry as the company will continue to operate under its own brand.

Our service helps people save money through more efficient use of data, and also helps developers, large and small, design better experiences for people,” Onavo co-founders Guy Rosen and Roi Tiger wrote in a company blog post early Monday morning. “We’re excited to join their team, and hope to play a critical role in reaching one of Internet.org’s most significant goals – using data more efficiently, so that more people around the world can connect and share.”

[via]

October 14, 2013
Facebook for iOS gets updated with Photo Viewer Button; Save, share or make profile!

The Facebook App on iOS just got an Update on their version 6.1.1 . The new update brings about a Photo Viewer button that lets you save or share an image you are viewing from your handheld, and also set is as you profile image, making handling of images a lot better on iOS devices.

A few other improvements include , enhanced “places editing” while checking in on the iPhone on Facebook and faster load times for Events which are compressed on server side and delivered to the handsets.

Facebook has seen a growth in Mobile Platform usage for its apps by almost 200% in the last year and the company expects these numbers to grow tremendously in the coming two quarters.

May 14, 2013
Microsoft Releases Facebook Beta For Windows Phone, Features High-Resolution Photos, Timeline And More

Facebook for Windows Phone, while maintaining a nice design, has always lagged behind its iOS and Android counterparts for features.

Microsoft is launching a new version of its Facebook app today in beta, bringing many of the most highly-requested features to Windows Phone users. Not only is the design a better compromise between the company’s existing mobile apps and the Windows Phone design guidelines, but it offers Timeline support, high-resolution images and post sharing.

Instead of showing a tiny preview, the beta Facebook app now allows pics embedded inside a post to take up all the horizontal screen estate. Basically the shots can take advantage of large high-resolution displays.

The new app supports left- and right-side sliding bars, much like Android and iOS, and they open smoothly with a swipe from either side. Any page, including specific timelines, the messaging folder or even specific brand pages, can be pinned to the home screen for easy access, and the app still supports using images from albums as lock screen art. Toast notifications are said to be more reliable as well.

“Once you’ve put the beta app through its paces, we hope you’ll pass along bug reports, feature requests, and other feedback by going to Settings>About in the app”, Microsoft says. “You can also post a Store review. Your comments and suggestions will inform future releases”.

While the beta is not quite stable, and cannot be found by searching in the Windows Store, it will go a long way to alleviating some of that cross-platform envy Windows Phone users have been feeling lately. No word on whether Chat Heads are coming to Windows Phone any time soon, but having native Facebook Messenger support from the Messages app should suffice for now. The beta will be installed alongside your current Facebook app until it comes out of beta.

[Windows Phone Blog]

May 1, 2013
Go Android! Facebook Wants Employees To Choose Android Over iOS

Facebook reportedly is encouraging its employees to switch from Apple‘s iPhones to devices running Google‘s Android operating system.

In the past, Facebook gave employees iPhones; however, according to Tech Crunch, the push is on to get them to begin using Droid-based phones; FB also is encouraging workers to begin looking for issues with Facebook apps for the Android OS.

The Android Facebook app has floundered as a hybrid HTML5/native app for months, periodically adding features to the camera or chat portions but rendering the main timeline in a web view.

This issue is not unique to Facebook. Despite its huge market presence, most app developers choose to cater to iOS version before Android. While we’re at a point where we can count on an Android version to be released, it often comes weeks or months after the iPhone or iPad.

Facebook, by asking its engineers to “dogfood” its Android app by switching to the platform, may be the first of many companies seeking to change the perspective of Android as an also-ran OS for developers. Some dev houses see Android as a necessary evil, and prefer to develop for iOS. This runs counter to the sheer numbers of devices sold, but it also speaks to the financial incentive of building an app for Apple’s platform.

Over the coming months, as Android 4.0+ devices broach the majority of overall share, we can hope to see more Holo-based Android apps with excellent performance and great feature sets. Now if only Google could ensure developers make enough money to continue building great paid Android apps, we’d be set.

November 29, 2012
Facebook for Android Gets Updated

Facebook for Android is now available for download in version 1.9.11, and, while the latest update is not very special compared with recent ones, it does come with three straightforward and important changes.

Photo functionality should be improved with these three tweaks, which allow for faster photo tagging and a better organizing of your pics in albums. Finally, there’s also the customary bug fix, which this time helps solve a problem that was restricting “people using certain languages” from uploading images from time to time.

For an app build almost entirely in HTML5, Facebook for Android is actually quite spritely, especially when run on more modern hardware. We’re excited for the day when Facebook for Android is built on native code, but for the time being enjoy your improved photo uploading experience.

Facebook also made the “biggest overhaul of [its] Android SDK so far,” making it easier for developers to integrate the social network into third-party apps. These features include the Friend Picker and Places Picker, which apps can use to access the Open Grap in more comprehensive ways.

October 20, 2012
Facebook updates iOS apps

Facebook has rolled out new iPhone and iPad apps rebuilt from the bottom up in a drive to boost speeds and give better performance.

The long-awaited move was part of the social networking giant’s effort to appeal to the growing number of users accessing Facebook from mobile devices.

It was also an attempt to placate mobile users who for years have complained that the old apps were clunky and sluggish.

But while Facebook ads are well-established on its website, the company only recently started experimenting with mobile advertisements. That’s been a concern for investors, who’ve sent Facebook’s stock down by nearly half since the company’s initial public offering three months ago.

The app is available for free from Apple’s App Store.

Still absent from Facebook’s app is any integration of Instagram. That’s because Facebook hasn’t closed the acquisition of the photo-sharing app. Though it got a step closer Wednesday, when the Federal Trade Commission said it has closed its investigation into Facebook’s planned acquisition.

August 24, 2012
LIVE BLOG : Facebook Product Announcement is Tonight (plus live feed)
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July 6, 2011
Facebook will Launch some thing Awesome Next week

Facebook might launch something in the Mobile or Tablet division next week, if rumors are to be believed. Chief Executive and founder Mark Zuckerberg told reporters that the company planned to “launch something awesome” next week.

He said the project had been developed at the 40-person Seattle office, Facebook’s only major engineering center outside of its Palo Alto, California headquarters.

The iPad app and a specialized photo sharing app for the iPhone have been long overdue.

Facebook, the world’s largest Internet social network with more than 500 million users, is increasingly challenging established online companies like Google Inc and Yahoo Inc for consumers’ time online and for advertising dollars.

[via reuters]

July 1, 2011
George Hotz (Geohot) joins Facebook as product developer

Internet’s more well-known celebrity iPhone and PlayStation hacker George “GeoHot” Hotz has gone to Facebook. Rumors say that he’s involved with product development for the company’s alleged iPad app. The news was confirmed by a quick visit to Hotz’s Facebook page, his work status shows “Facebook software engineer starting in May 2011”

Hotz himself is responsible for the outbreak of the Internet unlocking community due to his successful manipulations of both Apple iPhones and iPod Touches as well as Sony’s PlayStation 3. The latter caused a four-month legal battle between Sony and Hotz. The hacktivist group Anonymous launched a distributed denial of service attack against Sony in April to retaliate for the company going after Hotz.

June 27, 2011