Facebook overhauls its Android app, catering to users in developing countries
With data being expensive and storage on phones being low, Facebook conducted a thorough overhaul of its Android to suit the needs of users in developing countries such as Africa.
By virtue of its size being 65 percent smaller, using 50 percent less data as well as starting 50 percent faster, it has no doubt made things easier for its Android app users.
Ever since this latest development took place at the beginning of 2014, users with this latest update (and older phones) can still use this app with ease while consuming far less data than before.
One can attribute this focus due to the fact that Facebook is reaching saturation in its primary markets while its growth in the developing world is expanding substantially. While in US and Canada, the numbers show a growth by 4 million, the rest of the world have opened 49 million new accounts.
Despite this explosive growth in that part of the world, there are still a number of people without Facebook accounts that the company recognizes and is targeting with this move.
It goes without saying that these countries have very different device conditions and mobile networks compared to Facebook’s country of origin. Simply put, a number of these countries depend on low-end Android phones on slower networks.
So, with this in mind, Facebook has had to redo its Facebook for Android app so as to meet the needs of these users.
And even though the cost of Android phones are dropping, the cost of data storage remains as high as ever and which is why Facebook’s efforts will only connect more people worldwide to this gargantuan social network.