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Facebook Home
View on Wikipedia| Facebook Home | |
|---|---|
The lock screen used under Facebook Home displays status updates and photos from the user's News Feed | |
| Original author | Facebook, Inc. |
| Initial release | 12 April 2013 |
| Stable release | 1.2
/ January 13, 2014 |
| Operating system | Android |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/home at the Wayback Machine (archived April 14, 2013) |
Facebook Home was a user interface layer for Android smartphones. Developed by the company then known as Facebook (now Meta Platforms), the software was designed to be a drop-in replacement for the device's existing home screen ("launcher"). It provided a replacement home screen that allowed users to easily view and post content on Facebook along with launching apps, a replacement lock screen that displayed notifications from Facebook and other apps, and an overlay which allowed users to chat via Facebook messages or SMS from any app. Facebook Home was unveiled at a press event on April 4, 2013, and was released on April 12, 2013 for a limited selection of devices from HTC and Samsung Electronics—including the HTC First, a new smartphone pre-loaded with the software. Facebook is no longer supporting or providing updates for Facebook Home.
Design
[edit]Citing that many users use smartphones for social networking services such as Facebook, its designers aimed to create an alternative user environment that would emphasize interacting with the device through people instead of apps. The Cover Feed served as the replacement home screen while using Facebook Home; it was used to view updates posted by others on Facebook in a full screen environment and access an application launcher. The lock screen displayed notifications (sorted by priority using an internal algorithm) from both Facebook and other apps on cards, while also displaying updates in a similar format.[1] Home aimed to hide as much of the Android shell as possible; by default, interface elements such as the status bar on the top of the screen were hidden.[2]
A system known as "Chat Heads" was used for messages and SMS; avatars of friends in a conversation with the user were overlaid on the Android interface. Tapping an avatar opened a pop-up chat window over the app currently in use.[1]
Device compatibility
[edit]Facebook promised support for Home on a "wide range of devices" (including smartphones and tablets), but it was only compatible with the HTC First (which is pre-loaded with Home and was unveiled alongside the software), One X, One X+, One (M7), Samsung Galaxy S III, S4, Note II, and Nexus 4.[1][3]
Initially the ability to view non-Facebook notifications through Home was only available on the HTC First, as technical limitations that prevented this functionality on other devices were patched by HTC in the First's distribution of Android.[4][5][6]
While the Facebook Home interface was officially incompatible with all other Android devices, some of its features were backported to Facebook's main apps. An update to the Facebook Messenger app added Chat Heads, while an update to the main Facebook app in August 2013 added the ability to enable Cover Feed as the lock screen (however, Cover Feed only supported devices that would otherwise support Facebook Home).[3][7]
Reception
[edit]A few hours after release, it had received an average review of 2.3 out of 5 on Google Play.[8] Though expert reviews, such as from David Pogue of the New York Times,[9] were more positive, they generally acknowledged that while the experience of Home was very polished, it "reinvents the way you open programs on your phone" to enhance focus on Facebook features, to the detriment of other apps not focused on social networking.[10] Others, like Om Malik, highlighted potential privacy concerns, noting that use of Facebook Home might allow the company unprecedented access to user data on mobile devices.[11]
In response to its poor reception, Facebook indicated in late-May 2013 that it was planning on making improvements to Home in response to consumer feedback.[12] The first of these improvements came in an update released in early-June 2013, adding the ability to pin shortcuts to a tray on the bottom of the application menu screen.[13] In December 2013, Facebook released an update to Home, which added a more traditional home screen.[6] Home has not been updated since, and is no longer available in the Google Play Store.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Facebook Home revamps any Android phone to make it about 'people, not apps'". The Verge. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "Facebook Home can be disabled on HTC First, stock Android sits beneath". TechRadar. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Facebook adds Cover Feed to standard Android app, no Home required". The Verge. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
- ^ "Facebook unmasks the HTC First handset". CNET. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "HTC and Facebook announce the First smartphone with AT&T, arriving April 12th for $99.99". The Verge. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Facebook Tries Salvaging Home With Redesign That Makes Its Lockscreen More Familiar". TechCrunch. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Chat Heads come to Facebook Messenger for Android". The Verge. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ "Hours in, Facebook Home suffering from poor Google Play reviews as 48% of users award it 1 star", The Next Web, April 12, 2013
- ^ Pogue, David (April 9, 2013), "Facebook Grabs for Your Phone. What Gives?", The New York Times
- ^ Stern, Joanna (April 9, 2013), "Facebook Home and HTC First Review: A Nice Place to Visit, but Not Quite Home", ABC News
- ^ Malik, Om (April 4, 2013), "Why Facebook Home bothers me: It destroys any notion of privacy", GigaOM, archived from the original on February 27, 2014, retrieved April 13, 2013
- ^ "Facebook puts HTC First launch on hold in the UK to 'focus on making Home better'". The Verge. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ "Facebook adds a tray for your favorite apps in Home update". The Verge. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
External links
[edit]Facebook Home
View on GrokipediaDevelopment and Launch
Announcement and Partnerships
Facebook Home was publicly announced on April 4, 2013, during a press event in Menlo Park, California, led by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.[1] Zuckerberg positioned the software suite as a means to reorient mobile devices toward social interactions, emphasizing a "people-first" experience that integrated Facebook's services deeply into the phone's interface rather than treating it as just another app.[2] The announcement highlighted Home's role in addressing the shift to mobile usage, where Facebook sought to enhance user engagement by making social feeds and messaging more prominent on the home screen. Key partnerships underpinned the launch, with HTC collaborating to preload Home as the default experience on the HTC First smartphone, a mid-range device featuring a 4.3-inch display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor.[8] AT&T served as the exclusive U.S. carrier for the HTC First, offering it for $99 with a two-year contract starting April 12, 2013, as part of a bundled promotion to drive adoption.[1] Internationally, France Télécom's Orange joined as an early carrier partner, with plans to expand to additional original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Samsung and Huawei, alongside carriers such as EE.[9] Facebook developed Home exclusively for Android devices, citing the operating system's openness that permitted third-party customizations like launcher replacements, which were not feasible on more locked-down platforms such as iOS.[2] This approach allowed for broader compatibility across Android hardware without requiring custom firmware, with initial availability via Google Play downloads and pre-installation on partner devices to facilitate rollout to other OEMs and carriers.[1]Initial Release and Rollout
Facebook Home became available for download on April 12, 2013, through the Google Play Store as a free downloadable app suite designed to overlay the Android operating system's home screen and lock screen.[10][2] It was initially compatible with select Android devices running version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) or 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), including models such as the HTC One X, HTC One X+, and Samsung Galaxy S III.[2][11] The rollout emphasized integration with existing Android hardware rather than new devices, though it launched pre-installed on the HTC First smartphone, which debuted the same day exclusively through AT&T in the United States for $99.99 under a two-year contract.[12][13] Pre-orders for the HTC First began shortly after the April 4 announcement, positioning AT&T as the primary U.S. carrier partner for the hardware debut, with limited expansion to other carriers like Verizon occurring later in the year.[9] Internationally, the initial deployment was restricted, with early carrier support from France Télécom (now Orange) for the HTC First in select markets, reflecting a U.S.-centric strategy focused on major Android ecosystems.[9] Installation required users to have the latest version of the core Facebook Android app, which prompted notifications for Home eligibility and mandated linkage to an active Facebook account for authentication and functionality.[4] Subsequent updates to Home were delivered via the Google Play Store but depended on compatibility with the evolving Facebook app ecosystem.[1]Features and Functionality
Core Interface Components
Facebook Home replaced the default Android home and lock screens with Cover Feed, a full-screen, continuous stream displaying social updates, photos, and notifications primarily from users' Facebook friends.[1] This interface delivered content immediately upon waking the device, creating an immersive experience centered on friends' activities such as status updates, shared photos, and timeline posts.[1][2] Cover Feed cycled through stories automatically but allowed manual navigation by swiping left or right to view previous or next items, with double-taps enabling likes and comments directly from the feed.[1] The design prioritized Facebook content over traditional app icons and widgets, eliminating standard grid layouts in favor of social prioritization via an algorithm that surfaced relevant updates.[14] Access to applications occurred through swipe-based gestures: swiping up from the bottom of the screen summoned the App Launcher, a customizable drawer of favorite apps and shortcuts, enabling quick launches without interrupting the feed.[1][2] This allowed partial interactions, such as notifications or calls, without full unlocking in some cases.[14] By default, Facebook Home set Cover Feed as the primary interface, but users could opt for temporary reversion to the standard Android home screen through launch options like "try once" or via settings adjustments post-installation.[2] This flexibility addressed concerns over permanent replacement, though the system encouraged persistent use of the social-focused layout.[14]
