Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

That rocket ship in your News Feed isn't an alien — it's another Facebook test

Lulu Chang
By

facebook journalism grants login smartphone
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Seeing a rocket ship pop up on your Facebook newsfeed? Don’t worry — your account hasn’t been taken over by spacemen, nor are you alone in noticing this change. Rather, it would appear that Facebook is testing yet another version of News Feed for its users, which means that some of you are seeing this new icon at the top or bottom of your smartphone screen (depending on whether you’re an iPhone or Android user).

As TechCrunch reports, it appears that the rocket icon is part of Facebook’s attempt at offering a News Feed that is comprised of posts, articles, and other content from sources you aren’t currently following, but would likely like. In fact, the items that appear in the rocket ship feed are pulled from Facebook Pages that bear some resemblance to things you already “liked” on Facebook or things your friends have liked.

Recommended Videos

While the rocket ship is new, the experiment itself is not — an alternative News Feed was previously tested with a small square icon. However, that test was only seen by Android beta users, Mashable reported. iOS users, on the other hand, saw another similar test with a News Feed labeled “Explore.” But the most recent experiment appears in both the iOS and Android version of Facebook mobile, and also affects users who haven’t selected to be part of beta tests.

It would appear that the rocket ship test is being carried out across the world and a Facebook spokesperson confirmed the experiment in a statement to Mashable, noting, “We are testing a complementary feed of popular articles, videos, and photos, customized for each person based on content that might be interesting to them. We’ve heard from people that they want an easy way to explore new content they haven’t connected with yet.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
This one Apple Fitness feature completely changed how I exercise
Someone holding an iPhone with the Apple Fitness app open, showing the Custom Plans feature.

I have a confession to make: I'm not good at sticking to a workout routine. I love running, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), strength training, etc. In the moment of those exercises and in the post-workout euphoria, I feel amazing. But when it comes to waking up early in the morning to do these things before work? Well, that's where I really struggle.

This has been a problem for a while now. I go to bed with the goal of waking up early and going to the gym, but as I groggily open my eyes to snooze the alarm on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, I end up falling back asleep. And I've been repeating this over and over and over again.

Read more
You can pick up the Google Pixel 7 Pro for only $500 today
The Pixel 7 Pro with its display turned on, showing the home screen.

 

If you've been holding out on buying a new phone for a while because prices are still expensive, then you may want to consider going for one of the older flagship phones. For example, while the Pixel 8 Pro is out, the Pixel 7 Pro is still a powerful and viable alternative, and even better, it has quite a few great deals on it. In fact, you can buy a brand new and sealed Pixel 7 Pro from Woot for just $500, rather than the usual $1,100, and that's for the 512GB version of the phone, so you get a lot of storage with it as well.

Read more
A new Google Pixel Tablet is coming, but it’s not what you think
Google Pixel Tablet on its charging dock.

It's been almost a year since the Google Pixel Tablet went up for preorder, leading many Android tablet fans to wonder when the inevitable Pixel Tablet 2 will arrive. A new rumor suggests that Google could release a new Pixel Tablet as early as next month, but it's probably not what you were expecting or hoping for.

According to @MysteryLupin on X (formerly Twitter), Google is planning to "relaunch" the Pixel Tablet without the charging/speaker dock included in the box. As you'll likely recall, the speaker dock is the Pixel Tablet's standout feature. You can use the Pixel Tablet on its own as a traditional Android tablet when you want, and when you're done, you throw it on the dock to transform it into a smart display. The idea of Google selling the Pixel Tablet without its claim to fame is an interesting one.

Read more