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Facebook’s designers are stuck in the past — in one way, at least

Published Aug 16th, 2017 11:03PM EDT
Facebook News Feed
Image: Shutterstock

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If you woke up to a different Facebook app this morning, that’s because it may have been updated to the latest Facebook mobile version, which brings over a significant News Feed design overhaul. But what’s interesting in Facebook’s announcement is that it features only “old” phones.

Facebook wants to make the feed “an easier place to connect and navigate,” the company said in a blog post. That means it wants to deliver, in its own words: better conversations, improved readability, and easier navigation.

Image source: Facebook

What that means, in practice, is that the app is getting rid of the iconic blue header, increased contrasts, circular profile pictures, updated icons, a better comment system, and links preview.

But take a look at all the images Facebook provides in the post. They all feature the same Android phone, even though the update should be available on iPhone as well. There’s no mention in the announcement about these new Facebook features hitting only Google’s platform.

Image source: Facebook

More people use Android than iPhone, but Apple sold more than 1.2 billion iPhones to date. Hundreds of millions are still in use, and most iPhone owners probably Facebook. A lot.

Furthermore, they all show a device that looks rather old by 2017 smartphone design standards. Almost bezel-less smartphones are increasingly becoming the norm, yet Facebook seems stuck in 2016 or earlier.

Image source: Facebook

Sure, most smartphone users don’t own an all-screen phone yet, which could explain Facebook’s decision to highlight the app updates using a familiar smartphone example. But it still seems like a glaring oversight from Facebook. An app developer who’s looking to keep people stuck on the screen for as long as possible will surely benefit from the extra display real estate that should be available on more and more phones in the future.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.