As promised, the new Facebook version 6.0 update has just dropped on the App Store, bringing out a number of new features such as Chat Heads borrowed from Facebook Home for Android, a redesigned user interface on the iPad focused on the new News Feed which was announced in March, stickers in chat windows and more.
Get downloading and read the following one-line disclaimer from Facebook before you jump straight to the comments:
“Chat Heads and stickers will be available to everyone over the next few weeks”.
There, it’s a staggered roll-out, you’ve been warned…
Check out the new Chat Heads and chat stickers on a pair of screenies top of post.
Now you can keep chatting even when you’re doing other stuff on Facebook, like checking your News Feed.
To reply to a message, just tap Chat Heads. You can drag them around or flick them down to close.
To add stickers to your messages, just tap the smiley icon. Some stickers are free and others can be purchased in the Sticker Store revealed upon tapping the basket icon.
This is the new News Feed layout on an iPhone.
And here’s what it looks like on an iPad.
At least it no longer looks like a blown-up iPhone interface, no?
“The biggest change is on iPad, where you’ll see brighter, more beautiful stories,” reads a media release.
Indeed, you can now browse your News Feed by Music, Photos, Games and other categories.
Chat Heads tell me 2 things: overlays suck, & we really need a way to do this that’s part of the sys UI and not an overlay. Second screen?
— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) April 16, 2013
Your release notes for Facebook 6.0:
Brand new ways to chat and a cleaner look for News Feed.
New for iPhone
• Keep chatting from anywhere in the app with chat heads
• Send stickers to bring your messages to life
• Explore new feeds like Music, Photos and Games
New for iPad
• Keep chatting from anywhere in the app with chat heads
• Browse brighter, more beautiful stories
Chat heads and stickers will be available to everyone over the next few weeks.
Another iPad screenshot…
The Verge took a nice hands-on look at the new Facebook 6.0.
By the way, Letterpress developer and former Apple designer Loren Brichter lent help to the social networking giant on Facebook Home, per the following tweet by Facebook designer Mike Matas.
Really excited to have @lorenb helping my team out at Facebook.
— Mike Matas (@mike_matas) April 16, 2013
Facebook 6.0 is a free universal binary download available now on the App Store.
And if you’re social, why not fan iDownloadBlog on Facebook?
How do you like these new features?
Chat Heads, anyone?