Facebook app on WP8

[Square Spiral]

Is it just me or is the Facebook app on WP8 a step backwards from the WP7.5 version? Notifications are still patchy at best, resume from lock screen often results in a black unresponsive screen and the live tile is slow to update. After 2 years you might have thought they could have got on top if these issues?

An opportunity to bring the new platform into the modern age has been sorely squandered with this poor first offering. Shame really

Btw - i love WP8 and my new HTC 8X

 

[PG2G]

The fact that it doesn't reload when you launch it from start screen/app list is reason enough to like the updates

Notifications in the WP 7.X updates got good a couple of weeks ago, but have been less useful recently. Kind of proof the issue is in the back end somewhere, not on the app side.

 

[ammarmalik2011]

The fact that it doesn't reload when you launch it from start screen/app list is reason enough to like the updates

Notifications in the WP 7.X updates got good a couple of weeks ago, but have been less useful recently. Kind of proof the issue is in the back end somewhere, not on the app side.

It's the app. Notifications are perfectly fine on the iOS app. I can't believe the folks over at Microsoft, especially Joe Belfiore picks up his Windows Phone 8 and is satisfied with the **** Facebook app. Is it really impossible to make a FB app that doesn't suck? Isn't Microsoft in bed with Facebook? Can't they ask them to develop an official app?

 

[PG2G]

It's the app. Notifications are perfectly fine on the iOS app. I can't believe the folks over at Microsoft, especially Joe Belfiore picks up his Windows Phone 8 and is satisfied with the **** Facebook app. Is it really impossible to make a FB app that doesn't suck? Isn't Microsoft in bed with Facebook? Can't they ask them to develop an official app?

Not necessarily the app. You need to consider that the app isn't made by Facebook so it might not have the same degree of integration into the back end that the official apps do.

The lifetime of a notification for the WP Facebook might look like this

Facebook Server -> Facebook/Microsoft Intermediate Server -> Microsoft Push Notification Service -> Phone

Whereas the lifetime of a notification on an official app might look like this

Facebook Server -> Apple/Google Push Notification Service -> Phone

The fact that the behavior had DRASTIC changes without any updates to the app implies that the notification issues are not the result of the app.

 

[Square Spiral]

They have had 2 years to get this right. To make the deals needed with FB to get the access to the stream. Joe B touted the new FB app at the launch as all new and improved - its frankly not, its a step backwards from the old version. The 'live app' lock screen integration seems almost non functional - another feature Joe was raving about a launch. These are the apps that will sell phones to regular users - but only if they are any good. Sigh

 

[brmiller1976]

The WP8 Facebook app is vastly better than the "official" one on my GS3. I don't know what everyone is complaining about.

 

[jwinch2]

I have zero problems with the Android version of the App. Hopefully, (if my 920 ever arrives) I will have similar experience with the WP8 version.

 

[brmiller1976]

I used to have pages simply never update and appear blank on the Android side. Notifications were also slow, and it would choke when downloading large images that friends posted. No such problems on the WP side.

 

[jwinch2]

Well, now that I have my new Lumia 920, I can comment on the FB app. Overall, I think it is fine, but I don't understand why it does not move to landscape mode. That seems like major, and amateur, mistake to me.