The new Facebook app delivers a whole new user experience coupled with an improved app performance. While the enhanced features are confirmed by Microsoft, the company has declined to elaborate on how much faster the app's performance can offer.
The Facebook app update also features support for an increased number of languages, direct uploading of videos that are taken using a Windows Phone device, and feature for users of Windows Phone 8.1.
The said feature involves a direct link into the People Hub for users of Windows Phone that run on version 8.1. The aim is to increase Facebook's presence into the Windows Phone environment. Various features such as Facebook contacts, events, and photo albums are now supported by the new Facebook app for Windows Phone.
"Facebook contacts, events, and photo albums are now powered by the Facebook for Windows Phone app," says Microsoft. Through this, the Window Phone delivers an enhanced social experience to the user with the app placed at the very core of every social conversation.
Users who already have the app should expect to get the update soon. Another way to get the updated version is by visiting the Windows Phone Store to download the app.
This is Microsoft's fourth released update since the company launched a program of Facebook beta in April 2013. Windows Phone users are encouraged to help Microsoft in testing the new Facebook app's features on the mobile platform.
Microsoft seemed to have mimicked Blackberry's move in developing the Facebook app for mobile users. This only shows how the mobile industry values early app introduction into a mobile platform which tends to get affected if the app doesn't come in either first or second. For quite some time now, Facebook app seemed to have evaded other platforms except for the ones that are on Android or iOS.
However, Facebook continues to evolve and open more accessibility to other users. During the early part of the year, Facebook successfully launched the Windows Phone version of Facebook Messenger. Together with the recently launched Facebook app, it seemed Facebook is really looking for a better integration with Windows Phone.
Since the app is in beta, it implies that it is still in a test version as opposed to being official. As mentioned earlier, anyone who wants to try out the new features can easily access the app by downloading it from the Windows Phone Store. Currently, there are two different builds which are denoted by either 8.1.x or 5.1.x. In essence, they are but one and the same app.
