The other day I was looking at the iTunes app store and came across a list of Facebook related apps. To be honest, I was stunned. I had no idea there were so many official Facebook apps on the market, or that most of them were even necessary.
You may be just as surprised, so let’s take a look at the many different apps that exist for using that popular social media platform.
Facebook Apps
This is the primary app that most of us have on our phones and tablets. It is used to access all of the features on the site, or at least it used to be. Now it is integrated with other apps that have to be downloaded separately, creating different tiers of use.
It is frustrating on some levels, and better on others. For example, it means you can’t open private messages or chat on the main app, but it loads much faster as a result.
Do you run a page? This app is for running one or multiple from your phone. You can connect with your audience, make changes to your page, add content, post, and get notification about new activity.
It isn’t the most helpful app, and you would be better off using the browser version for any real changes. But it is good for anyone who wants to occasionally post something from their phone.
You know those content curation apps that create a digital magazine or newspaper with your chosen keywords and sites?
This app is kind of like that. It takes your news feed and puts it into a distraction-free, full page layout similar to an e-magazine spread. You swipe and drag to navigate.
Most of the people reading this (and the one writing it) can’t get access to this app. Mentions is a way for high profile and verified members such as celebrities and politicians to be alerted when they are mentioned.
Have you ever wondered how a celebrity account pops into a random thread about themselves? It is because they are being notified the moment their name is used.
Moments is a pretty cool app if you are a heavy picture taker. It works by syncing with your Facebook friends and autotagging people based on who is in your uploaded images.
It then creates a private folder for all of those images, and allows access to the people in them. It is a quick and easy way to share your photos across all the people who they were taken with. You can then decide who else is allowed to see what on your friends list, and can repost them to other networks like Instagram.
Whether you own a group, or you are a part of some, you can put them all in one place here and access each. Again, this is one of those apps that are alright, but the browser version is still going to be better.
If you tend to meet up with groups a lot in person, it could be nice to have it to quickly share what is happening at meetups. Or if you are dedicated enough to posting in groups that you want to do it no matter where you are, it will work.
As mentioned before, you can’t open messages in the primary Facebook app anymore. You also can’t access the related chat feature that uses those messages. So you need the Messenger app if you plan on using either on your phone, and given there are so many users who use Facebook mostly on mobile devices it is going to be a pretty crucial download.
What is annoying about this app is how long it can take to load when accessed through the primary Facebook app. You click on your messages icon and it has to open Messenger separately, taxing your resources. But it can also be accessed directly through the icon on your mobile desktop, which is faster.
Feel like taking a bunch of photos in a row and turning them into a weird and stuttering gif image, then sending it to your confused friends? You’re in luck, because there is an app for that!
This recent generation has become well known for their selfie obsession. But if you want to take that vanity hobby to a whole new level, you can make actual digital stickers using your own face in different expressions.
Add them to messages so your friends have huge stamped versions of your face instead of writing like a normal person.
Is using a phone for an actual voice call too much for you? Hate Skype, Google Hangouts, Facetime, and every other means of speaking with your voice over short or long distances? Then prerecord yourself saying random phrases and attach them to your messages.
If your company is one that made the questionable decision to create a work based Facebook network, you can use Work Chat to speak to your coworkers there. At least it keeps your boss from seeing your drunk bikini shots!
How Many Do We Need?
You might be able to tell from my snark attack above that I find a lot of these apps pretty useless. That doesn’t mean you will think the same. Different people like different features, and so any of the apps released might be useful in the right context.
However, in my own opinion the only two we really need are the main and messenger app… but hey! it’s a good thing to have a choice!
What apps do you use for Facebook? Let us know in the comments!
2 Responses
Just regular FaceBook is enough for me. 🙂
I had no idea there were so many different Facebook apps, Ann. I would be interested to know how many of these functions AgoraPulse V5 can handle for business purposes. I didn’t know you were such a Facebook buff.
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