This new Facebook feature makes it even easier to use on your phone
The latest Facebook update could make it even easier for users to navigate through all of its extensive groups, pages, and feeds on the mobile app.
The social network constantly tweaks its user experience to keep us sharing and liking all day -- it can't afford for all of us to break away, after all. Some updates are major, like adding Stories, while other subtle tweaks aim to make the user experience less of an echo chamber.
The latest update, first spotted on iOS devices, replaces the standard app navigation bar with a more streamlined, bubble-filled UI. You'll be able to get to your Events, see your friends, and check out your Profile even more quickly than ever before.
Check out the updated navigation bar at the bottom of the image below. The new bubble icon in the corner replaces the old triple horizontal bar symbol that once allowed users to check out their Profile, events, and other features. To the left is the "On This Day" icon, which now holds its own spot on the menu -- more on that in a moment.
Once you tap on the new tab, you'll have access to everything Facebook has to offer outside the News Feed. Your Profile and top-viewed Groups show up at the top of the guide, while other sections of the network, like the aforementioned On This Day feature, appear below the Explore area.
When you select one of the bubbles, you'll go straight to that section Facebook. The icon of the last section you used will pop up next to the bubble icon. So in the image below, the last section I was looking at was my Profile.
I've had the new bar for a few days now -- I think it's a big improvement over the previous navigation setup through the various pages and sections worked before. With everything in the same place, it takes just a few taps to get to the screen I want right away.
So far we've only seen the new functionality appear for a few Facebook users running the iOS version of the app (Android's navigation bar appears on the top of the screen, so it's not clear how this would work there). We're not sure if the feature is planned for a wide rollout, or if it's just a preliminary test. Facebook didn't immediately respond to request for comment, so we'll update the story if and when we find out more.
Topics iOS Social Media
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
