Facebook has released a new version of its app for iPhone and iPad iOS devices after complaints that the previous version was too slow and unstable, reports The Telegraph.
The firm said the new version, released on the Apple App Store overnight, was twice as fast and more reliable.
The old app was written in HTML 5, the web’s programming language, but Facebook’s new iOS app is written in native code to help speed it up by effectively removing a layer of processing.
The change means a bit of extra effort for Facebook engineers: while the HTML 5-based version could be easily adapted for different mobile operating systems, a native iOS app will only work on the iPhone and iPad.
“We’ve rebuilt the app from the ground up, so now the app opens much faster and your news feed and notifications load right when you open Facebook,” said Mick Johnson, Facebook’s iOS product manager.
Other improvements include smoother scrolling and instant photo loading, he added.
Facebook’s mobile website will remain available and based on HTML standards.
The iOS new app is part of Facebook’s increasing focus on smartphones and tablets. It has warned investors that members are increasingly accessing their accounts via its apps, which do not yet bring in significant revenue.
In response to the threat, the firm has invested heavily in mobile development, including in London, where it is recruiting its first engineering team outside the United States, focused on mobile apps and gaming. Overall about 100 staff are now working on Facebook’s mobile products.
Mike Schroepfer, Facebook’s vice president for engineering, told the New York Times that “we have basically retooled and focused the company around mobile”.
Read more: The Telegraph
