Skip to main content

Facebook designing Flipboard-style news reader app, report says

facebookappFacebook is working on a mobile news reader app similar to Flipboard to display content from various sources in a magazine-style format, the Wall Street Journal said in a report Sunday.

Citing “people with knowledge of the matter”, the Journal said the social networking giant had been working “quietly” on the service – known internally as Reader – for more than a year, though it remains unclear whether there are currently any concrete plans for a release. It’s also not known if the project involves a stand-alone app or software that would be integrated into the company’s existing offerings.

Recommended Videos

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg is said to be working closely with the team behind the long-running project, offering input and opinions on features and design.

The revelation, which comes a week after the discovery of an RSS reader hidden in Facebook’s Graph API code, is another signal of the company’s intention to push further into the mobile space in an effort to continue building its already massive user base while at the same time increasing revenue via mobile advertising.

Zuckerberg and his team in April rolled out Facebook Home, mobile software designed to take the place of the usual Android home screen and give the social networking site a more prominent position on handsets. It’s also recently introduced hashtags to its service, a feature long-used by a slew of other mobile apps such as Twitter and Instagram.

The Journal reported that while mobile users are spending more and more time with their mobile devices, users of Facebook usually drop in for just a few minutes at a time. “A more immersive experience [with Reader] could open up new ad models for Facebook, which now generates about a third of its revenue from mobile,” people familiar with Facebook’s mobile strategy told the Journal.

However, Facebook will have its work cut out if it wants to make news a significant part of its plans to conquer mobile. Twitter is already doing very nicely in that department, and Flipboard – the news-reading app upon which Reader is said to be based – enjoys a user base of more than 50 million.

There is, of course, a lot of movement in the news reader space just now, with Google set to close down its Reader service at the start of July, leaving many looking for a new service. However, its soon-to-be-shuttered offering is aimed more at serious news junkies, whereas Facebook’s Reader appears to have taken the magazine-style route.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The best news apps for Android and iOS
Best News apps for iOS and Android.

In today's fast-paced world, staying informed is more important than ever. However, finding reliable and relevant news can be challenging with the constant influx of information. Fortunately, our smartphones have become powerful tools for accessing news from around the globe, with various apps offering diverse perspectives, personalized experiences, and engaging formats.

Whether you are a news enthusiast who craves constant updates or a casual reader looking for curated content, a news app is designed to meet your needs. These are the best apps for iOS and Android for this purpose. Download them on your iPhone 16, Pixel 9 Pro, OnePlus 13, or any other phone you’d like.
AP News

Read more
Sony’s Xperia 10 may sport same flat, iPhone-style design
Sony Xperia 10 IV leaked render

Alleged renders of the Xperia 10 IV have been leaked, and from the looks of it, Sony’s next midrange phone will again put design in the back seat. The aesthetics are not an eyesore by any means, but the design is definitely stale. One might argue with the ‘"if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" mentality here, as Sony's strategy is just hard to digest at this point. The leaked Sony Xperia 10 IV renders — which come courtesy of @OnLeaks and Zouton — show a phone that looks identical to its predecessor.

The only noticeable change relates to the flat sides on the upcoming device, which veers from the curved side profile on the Xperia 10 III. Apple pulled a similar stunt a couple of years ago. The company took the iPhone 11’s base design, flattened its bulging sides, and created the iPhone 12. It was a lazy design makeover, but Apple also tweaked the camera island’s dimensions, made the lenses look bigger, and introduced some new color. Overall, the change was noticeable.

Read more
How to unblock someone on Facebook
Woman using Sign Easy on laptop to sign documents.

Maybe you were a little too hasty blocking that one person on Facebook, or maybe you just want to do a little spying to see what they’re up to. Either way, unblocking a person on Facebook is pretty easy. You can do it either on your mobile phone or on the website. Here’s how to unblock someone on Facebook when you have a change of heart.

Read more