Facebook app on Android and iOS works quite well after being modified and developed for many years. However, these aren’t the only options when it comes to a touch-optimized way to access your Facebook account. Facebook Touch may go unnoticed, but it’s the mobile browser version of Facebook that offers more than just touch-optimized.
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Before smartphones we had touch!
You might immediately think of “smartphone” whenever someone mentions touch screens, but this was not the case when Facebook Touch was created in 2009. iPhones and early Android phones The first has only been out for a year or two, so most mobile users don’t have touchscreen smartphones. It’s not clear which mobile operating system will come out on top, but social media is already widespread.
So it makes a lot of sense to create a touch-friendly interface for Facebook that is not locked to any particular operating system and allows for the maximum possible number of potential Facebook users.
You can’t download and install FaceBook Touch because it’s browser-based, but that’s the beauty of it. As long as you have a touchscreen device with a compatible browser installed, you can use Facebook touch.
This raises the question of why Facebook Touch still exists and is actively maintained. After all, almost all smartphones these days run Android or iOS, so why not use Facebook Touch?
Not all touch screens are Android or iOS
While it may seem like everyone you know has an Android or iOS device, by 2020 it is estimated that Global smartphone penetration at 78%That’s a huge number, but it still means more than a billion people don’t have a smartphone yet.
Presumably, a significant percentage of people who don’t have smartphones use feature phones. Feature phones can still run limited browsers, and Facebook Touch works well on exactly these types of devices.
Don’t forget that some modern devices with touch screens don’t use iOS or Android. Both Ubuntu Touch devices and Windows touchscreen laptops are examples of this. However, Facebook Touch can accommodate everything with a suitable browser, so whatever operating system your device is running, it should be a user-friendly experience.
What about the mobile site?
“Now wait,” you might be thinking, “the Facebook mobile page is also designed for touch!”. Yes that’s true mobile site designed for touch screen devices from the start.
However, Facebook Touch still has outstanding advantages. The most important things are that it is less cluttered, uses less data, and works better on devices with relatively low resolution screens. So even if you have a low-end Android or iOS device or an older phone, Facebook Touch is still a good solution. Which brings us to the next important advantage of Facebook Touch – speed!
Facebook Touch is very fast!
Since Facebook Touch is a stripped down version of the Facebook mobile app or desktop website, it doesn’t use a lot of resources. This means that it runs fine on low-end devices or handhelds and completely flies on something newer or better.
If your Facebook needs are within the limited functionality of Facebook Touch, and if you spend a lot of time on Facebook, Facebook Touch’s lightweight footprint can add up in terms of retention time.
It’s a good choice with low bandwidth
Facebook Touch isn’t just easy on low-end CPUs; it’s also a good backup when you’re somewhere where you can’t get 3G or better connection speed. Regular 3G is also too slow for a modern Facebook experience these days, but if you’re drowning in GPRS territory, then Facebook Touch can help. It’s a nice bonus without downloading the app. Simply access the touch site from your device’s browser when you need it. It’s the perfect solution to access your social media on one slow internet connection.
You can get better picture quality
While it’s difficult to prove to be a common situation, it seems that some users often get high-quality images on their devices when the complete mobile app or website doesn’t. Always try your best. This is probably not Facebook’s fault; It’s just that when you have a device with limited bandwidth or CPU power, images may load faster and videos may be less likely to play if there is stutter.
Facebook Touch uses less power
Impressive modern smartphones battery durability, but when you have the last few percentage points left, you’ll want to save as much power as possible. The Facebook Touch website can help extend your battery life a bit because it only loads the minimum amount of content you need to use Facebook. Full mobile apps and websites have a lot going on and can be a source of battery power in some cases.
The flip side of Facebook Touch
Facebook Touch clearly has its uses, but some things about it may be less than ideal.
First, it doesn’t really work well on desktop internet browsers because it was never designed for large, high-resolution screens. There’s no desktop version of Facebook Touch, so the site just stretches awkwardly across the screen of a desktop browser.
User experience isn’t great either, especially if you’re using Facebook on mobile devices that are powerful enough to run full-fledged mobile apps without issues.
Facebook Lite is a better alternative
If you’re using Facebook Touch for speed and bandwidth reasons and you have an Android or iOS device, you should probably use Facebook Lite app. This is a special version of the official Facebook app designed for low-end devices or users with very slow mobile internet connections.
As long as you remember to download, install and log into the app before you get stuck in the middle of nowhere, it can be a lifesaver when the signal bars start to drop.
Facebook Touch App for Android
You may have come across an app called Touch for Facebook, but it’s important to know that this app has nothing to do with Facebook. It’s an app made by a developer called Lighthouse (formerly H5) and it cannot be installed from the Google Play Store. Instead, you have to download the APK file and then install it on your Android device. You also need to enable unknown sources on your Android mobile device before you can install the Facebook Touch APK.
As a rule, we don’t recommend using third-party apps that you’ve downloaded from a source other than the official Google Play Store. You always run the risk of malware when you install third-party apps. Besides, we think it’s a bad idea to use your Facebook login with a third-party app.
As always, do you want to risk running an app like this on your phone, but you should do so with the full knowledge that it’s not an official solution.
Who Should Use Facebook Touch?
Because even the cheapest mobile phones these days are pretty powerful and most people can run the official Facebook app just fine, the list of people who should use Facebook Touch is getting shorter and shorter. However, we think there are a number of people who could benefit:
- Users with feature phones.
- Users with non-Android or iOS devices (Example: Windows Phone or Ubuntu Touch).
- Let’s say you have smartphone accessibility issues with standard apps. However, you should also consider your phone’s built-in accessibility features before using Facebook Touch.
Everyone else should use the official app, the regular website, or the Facebook Lite app. If these don’t work for you, you can go back to Facebook Touch.
