Facebook Home, what Mark Zuckerberg refers to as a “collection of apps”, is going to launch today. It’ll be available in the Google Play Store in the United States, but I honestly can’t tell you if it’ll hit other countries. Me being in Finland, with lots of friends in the UK and various Asian countries, I hope that Facebook is smart enough to let everyone get in on the Home action.
So what exactly is Home? It’s really three things: Chat Heads, Cover Feed, and Facebook itself.
Cover Feed
Chances are you already have the Facebook application installed on your phone, so you’re good to go. The next big thing is Cover Feed. It’s a replacement Android launcher and lock screen that brings everything from your Facebook News Feed right to the front of you device.
For example, say you take your phone out of your pocket. Instead of seeing the date and time, maybe even a weather widget, you’ll see the latest status updates from your Facebook friends. If they uploaded a photo, you’re going to see said photo on your lock screen whether you want to or not. So if you have a girlfriend or boyfriend who is somewhat jealous, don’t say I didn’t warn you. With Cover Feed, you can double tap on a status update to like it, or you can single tap it to see who liked it, who commented on it, and even leave your own comment. The thing about Cover Feed is that it works even when the phone is locked. If you’re someone who values their privacy, then get ready to give some up, because anyone who picks up your phone will be able to browse through your timeline. Then again, if you’re on Facebook you probably gave up all notion of privacy ages ago.
Chat Heads
And then there’s Chat Heads, which is easily the most important part of Facebook Home. Think of Chat Heads as persistent notifications that float on top of whatever it is you’re doing until you interact with them. If you’re reading an article in Chrome and your friend says hello, their face will pop up on your screen and go off to the side where it’ll stay until you either respond to them to swipe their face off your screen.
In case you haven’t read my Facebook Home review roundup, I suggest you do, because all three sites I referenced (Ars.Technica, Engadget, and The Verge) say the same thing: Chat Heads is the best thing since sliced bread.
What’s going to happen to my app launcher?
Facebook Home will replace your app drawer with something that’s incredibly minimalistic. Your most used apps will appear on one page, and then you’re going to have to swipe across to access the rest of your apps. If you’re used to the launcher you already have, this is likely going to be extremely disorienting. Some have even said it makes their smartphone appear a bit “dumber”, but let’s be honest, chances are you only use a handful of apps on a daily basis.
Will Facebook Home work on your phone?
If you have a Samsung Galaxy S3 or Note II, yes. If you have an HTC One, HTC One X, or HTC One X+, the answer is also yes. Two more phones are also supported: Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and the HTC First. If you don’t have any of these devices, sorry, you can’t play with Home. Now that being said, Facebook says they’re going to update Home every month. If I was a betting man, I’d say their first priority would be increasing the number of devices supported. Just think of all the GS2 owners out there, plus all the people who are still rocking the HTC Desire.
What if I don’t like Facebook?
Go offline, because the news cycle is going to be dominated by Facebook news today.
