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The wonderful things that happen when you uninstall Facebook’s Android app

Published Jan 20th, 2016 12:12PM EST
BGR

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You should really just use Facebook through your mobile browser instead of through the Facebook app. AndroidCentral’s Russell Holly recently started using Facebook in his mobile browser instead of the app and he has also found it delivers a much better overall experience.

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“Recently I noticed some performance issues on multiple phones, and had started paying closer attention to what exactly was causing these problems,” Holly explains. “When Facebook turned out to be one of the more egregious resource hogs, I uninstalled it to see how things improved. Not only did my performance issues go away entirely, but I discovered I didn’t actually lose any of the Facebook features I cared about by uninstalling the app.”

Yes, it’s true: Facebook’s app sucks up a ton of battery power and data. What makes this particularly egregious is that you can use Facebook through Chrome, Safari or whichever mobile browser you prefer and can get much the same experience. Sure, you’ll miss some things — Holly notes that there’s no location-based functionality and Facebook Instant articles don’t load in the browser-based version, for instance. All the same, if all you want to do is update your status, post photos or see what friends are up to, the Facebook mobile browser UI is perfectly functional for what it does.

Be sure to check out Holly’s full take on life without the Facebook Android app at this link.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.