Facebook Android App Updated

If you haven't yet updated your Android device to the new version of the Facebook app or aren't aware of the availability of the new version, here is a quick FYI for you. The new version of the app is #1.9 and here is the link to play store where you can download the app. And, yes just a little more, here is the change log for you:

- Improved performance and various bug fixes
- More messaging features like creating group messages and adding friends to existing group conversations
- Shortcuts to share photos and messages right from your home screen

With the quick injection above, now just sit for the details on the updates :). The new update comes with couple more icons to sit in your device's app drawer. Just like you see in the image here: Facebook app now has camera and messenger shortcuts for quick photo and message sharing. This update to the social media app tries to bring more of the web UI features to the mobile version. So for example in the messenger app, you will now have the option to start a group conversation. And also the features that were on the separate Facebook messenger app like seeing when your friends are online or on their mobile devices. The contact sorting app is more interesting and useful now with the basis of sorting now is the people you interact with most. 

With the new camera app icon, there will be some confusion if you already had the separate app previously installed. It's because this new update doesn't update the camera app icon (nor does it removes the old app), rather it puts another app and its icon in your app drawer. This may lead to confusion as quite a few users have complained about.
The good thing is that you now can either take snaps from this app or use the snaps from your camera gallery to share them with your network. You may also see what your contacts are uploading.

The actual app now has a share text box right from the app's main UI window. The camera button at the top does the same work as the new app icon introduced. More simpler to share the posts and your snaps with your contacts.. Although the message quote icon at the right top of the first screen capture above is sort of useless, you click on it and the focus comes to the posts text box. The second capture in the screen above shows that you also have a few more options now with the updated app.

Our Views
Try the new app and you will see it getting a few new features that users are used to on the web version of Facebook. So far in the 3 days the reaction in the users have been mixed as you may see in the comments/ratings in play store for the app. There have been some crashes issues as well, but more so on the confusion of the old and new camera app in the app drawer. A minor issue with the size being taken with these new updates. We did notice a little issue with the time it was taking to log out of the app. During the 1hr after the update on a couple of our devices, it was taking 2 to 3 min for the app to log us out. A restart did fix the issue however. Try and let us know what you feel about the new updates.
Finally we will leave you with the screen capture below to show you that the new Facebook update have the confirmation pop up button reversed, like it is now around the whole of the ICS. Here is an article confirming the reversal. 

 

Update 05/052012: As of version 1.9.2 the extra icons were removed from the app drawer. Wonder what FB has in mind there!