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

Paper 1.1 continues Facebook’s evolution on mobile

David Nield
By
paper 1 continues facebooks evolution mobile facebook
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Facebook has pushed out a substantial update to its Paper iOS app as it continues to tweak the social experience it provides on mobile devices. Paper 1.1 adds in some of the features that were missing first time around while continuing to differentiate the app from Facebook’s standard mobile offerings.

Birthdays and Events are now available, for example, but they are placed in the notifications section rather than on the main feed. Photo comments have been enabled inside Paper, but there’s no room yet for the Nearby Friends feature that was unveiled earlier this week. Other changes include more prominent updates from your Groups and nine new article covers.

Recommended Videos

According to a blog post by the Paper team, the news feed is the most popular part of the app (where your friends’ updates reside), ahead of Headlines, Tech, Ideas, LOL and Pop Life. The app remains locked inside the US for the time being, but it looks like there’s lots more to come from this Facebook experiment. “Our vision is to make Paper the best way to experience stories from friends and the world on Facebook,” explains the blog post. “We’ve been working hard to tackle your top requests and suggestions, and we hope you enjoy the latest additions to the app.” Facebook has not revealed download or user numbers for Paper.

Related

Paper launched in February as part of Facebook’s attempts to rethink how the social network might work in the age of Snapchat, Whatsapp, Instagram and a multitude of other smaller apps that are encroaching on Mark Zuckerberg’s territory. “We are focused on some things that overlap [with the main Facebook app],” Paper’s product manager Michael Reckhow told the Verge, “but we’re trying to stay with what we do best in Paper: presentation, and telling you the most important things you need to know on a daily basis.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
David Nield
David Nield
Contributor
Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…
The Paper Laptop could be the e-paper device you didn’t know you needed
The Modos Paper Laptop with the lid open.

Boston startup Modos is working on a laptop with an e-paper screen, and it's banking on the popularity of e-paper devices and e-readers to make it a success. The company claims the Modos Paper Laptop will offer lower prices, less eye strain, and a more real-world working environment than what is available now.

Modos is an open-hardware and open-software startup dedicated to reimagining computing. The team behind the company envisions a calmer and more humane technology, according to a post on the company's blog.

Read more
Meta’s plans for a Facebook smartwatch might be dead
Facebook smartwatch concept render

Meta has reportedly shelved plans to make a smartwatch, codenamed Milan, that would come equipped with two cameras. As per a Bloomberg report, the company's first smartwatch was slated to debut next year with a price tag of $349. However, the company has now canceled plans for mass production, apparently as a cost-cutting measure.

As per images of the prototype shared in the report, Meta's smartwatch had a squircle display with a flat profile and a gold casing. The first 5MP camera sat on the front, positioned in a notch at the bottom of the screen. A more powerful 12MP camera was placed at the back, resting against wearer's the wrist.

Read more
Instagram and Facebook apps add features, move ever-closer to TikTok parity
Screenshots of full-screen posts on Instagram.

Meta has introduced new tools for the Reels video feature on Instagram and Facebook that are a one-two punch against TikTok. The company announced the new features on Thursday, saying they would make it easier for content creators who prefer one or both of the platforms to their behemoth long-form video competitor to better connect with their audience.

On Instagram, Meta has extended Reels to 90 seconds, giving users more time to express themselves and promote their brands and products. In addition to the extended run time, Reels is also getting stickers that were once exclusive to Instagram Stories. Aside from the captions that are present at the beginning of a video, users will be able to use polls, stickers, and emoji slider stickers when showing their viewers new things or comparing what hairstyle, outfit, or product design they might like best.

Read more