14 DAY TRIAL // A new flavor of Facebook for Android mobile client is now available for download, version 1.9.7, with a twist for owners of older devices.
The new app release comes only with support for Android 2.2 or newer OS releases, leaving a bunch of users out of the update process.
For those with supported devices, things are getting better and better. Following the installation of this new flavor of the application, they will be able to take advantage of the front-facing camera to take photos and share them with their friends.
Additionally, the new app release comes with a range of bug fixes, as well as with a security improvement, all destined to enhance the overall experience users receive from it.
The performance of the application was improved as well, the release notes unveil. Users will enjoy faster app login and navigation in the new release.
Also, “new messaging features let you switch between conversations, include friends of friends, share bigger photos, and see who’s available,” the changelog reads.
The main change in the new application remains the fact that it now requires Android 2.2 or newer, which is complemented by a modification in permissions, now requiring phone status.
Undoubtedly, more features will be coming to the app soon, although owners of devices powered by older variants of Android won’t be able to enjoy them.
Chances are that this will happen for other applications as well, as Google and its partners step up towards removing almost obsolete Android iterations, some already here for years, from the landscape.
In the end, this should prove a good thing, since newer Android releases greatly improve security of devices and of their users, while also being capable of providing a much better mobile experience. However, not all users might be able to upgrade to newer hardware, that’s for sure.