Facebook’s latest update to its Android app has seen it bringing in stickers, new-look business pages and what it calls “ongoing notifications”.
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Stickers, the cute-meets-creepy animated emojii, were previously the reserve of Facebook Messenger but have now been baked into the full app. Also new is the ability to delete unwanted comments from your posts.
The redesigned business pages meanwhile allow you to get directions, check in, and call businesses from the top of the page. This particular feature of the update is much the same as that which rolled out on iOS last month. The placing of the Like, Directions, Check In and Call buttons at the top is intended to make discovery easier in a similar vein to Foursquare or Yelp.
One change not included in the changelog is the introduction of an ongoing notification that appears after the app has been updated. The feature apparently drops a Facebook icon in your bar with shortcuts to areas such as messages, friend requests and service notifications. The feature is turned on by default but can be switched off from the app’s settings if it’s not to your taste.
All of these changes point to Facebook trying to integrate as many features of the recently launched Home into its stock offerings. At best, that’s a risky move. The sentiment toward the launcher hasn’t been overwhelmingly positive since it went live. Right now it has a two-star rating on the Google Play Store.
