Manage updates with the Download App
Editors' note: This review has been updated to reflect changes in version 6.0.
The Facebook app for iOS that lets you browse the popular social-networking site on your phone or tablet just got updated with some new features to enhance chatting with your friends. Recent updates made it run much faster than earlier versions, offering quicker ways to browse through friends' pages, statuses, photos, and other communications. But the new update to the app adds Chat Heads and Stickers to add a little fun to your Facebook communications.
Across the top of the interface, you still have a button to open the navigation sidebar, one to look at friend requests, a chat bubble for messages, and a globe for notifications. To get to the navigation sidebar, you can either hit the button or simply swipe your finger to the right. In the sidebar you have all the same functions that you would on the Web site, so you can touch to browse the News Feed, Messages, nearby check-ins, events, groups, and any Facebook apps you might use. With the update, Facebook now has buttons at the top of your feed that you can tap to switch among the News Feed, All Friends, and the pages you're following.
One of the best things about Facebook is the interface for browsing photos. Just tap on a friend's Photos link and you quickly get all of his photo folders. From there you can just tap on a folder to browse. When you view a photo from a folder full-screen, you can swipe sideways to move on to the next picture and swipe up or down to return to the folder. You also can quickly upload a photo from your library or snap a new picture to upload with your iPhone or iPad. All of these elements are laid out to make your most-used actions on Facebook both easy to carry out and much faster than in older versions of the app.
Recent updates added the Share button, more tagging features, emoji icons to enhance chat, and a button for sorting your News Feed to get the stories you want. Tagging features let you tag friends in any post, comment, or photo. Other minor tweaks brought bigger Like, Comment, and Share buttons below each post in your News Feed.
