Facebook has unveiled the biggest redesign to its ‘big blue’ app since it launched 15 years ago.
At its annual F8 developer conference, the social media giant debuted a redesigned Facebook app, called ‘FB5.’
The overhaul puts private groups front and center in the app, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg said are quickly becoming one of the most popular features on the site, with more than 400 million members of Facebook groups.
Facebook’s new design has moved to become more ‘modern’ and fresh, according to Zuckerberg, with a circular logo instead of a square, as well as the removal of the blue bar at the top of the site, to make way for more white space in the site.
The company also debuted big redesigns to the Messenger and Instagram apps, while giving new updates on long-awaited features like Facebook Dating, which now has a ‘Secret Crush’ option.
The move comes as Zuckerberg detailed Facebook’s move toward a ‘privacy-focused’ future, which he said would take a few years, but has required him to rethink ‘a lot of the ways we run this company.’
Over the past year, Facebook has been rocked by scandal after scandal surrounding its mismanagement of user data, starting with its acknowledgement last March that some 87 million users’ data had been harvested and shared with Trump-affiliated campaign research firm Cambridge Analytica.
‘This isn’t just about building features, we need to change a lot of the ways we run this company today,’ Zuckerberg said on stage at F8.
‘…I get that a lot of people aren’t sure that we’re serious about this. I know we don’t exactly have the strongest reputation on privacy right now, to put it lightly.
‘But I’m committed to doing this well and to start a new chapter with our products,’ he added.
Facebook is debuting a new look to match its move toward privacy. The ‘big blue’ app is now white, giving it a ‘much cleaner look and feel,’ Zuckerberg said.
‘Overall this is the biggest change to the Facebook app and website in the last five years,’ he added.
The new mobile app ships for users in the U.S. today, while more regions will get see the redesign in the coming months.
Facebook’s redesigned desktop site will also become available for users in the next few months.
WHAT IS FACEBOOK’S NEW SECRET CRUSH FEATURE?
Facebook is making it easier than ever to find your next true love.
The company is launching its long-awaited Facebook Dating app, first teased last year, for users in the U.S. before the end of the year, after launching it in 19 countries so far.
As part of the move, Facebook is debuting a feature called ‘Secret Crush,’ which lets users match with any friends they may have their eye on.
Users can choose up to nine friends they’re interested in dating.
If a friend has opted into Facebook Dating, they’ll then get a notification saying they’ve been selected as a ‘Secret Crush.’
‘People have told us that they believe there is an opportunity to explore potential romantic relationships within their own extended circle of friends,’ the company said.
‘So now, if you choose to use Secret Crush, you can select up to nine of your Facebook friends who you want to express interest in.’
Should your crush select you as a crush as well, you’ll get a notification saying you’ve matched – not unlike the way Tinder or Bumble works.
If the person you choose as a Secret Crush never returns the favor, the person will never get notified they’ve been selected.
A new Groups tab shows users personalized updates from the groups they’re members of, as well as a new discovery tool to connect users to groups they may not know about.
Facebook Messenger is also getting a noticeable face-lift.
The company accidentally lifted the veil on its major Messenger redesign by publishing the announcement in error ahead of its annual developer conference on Tuesday.
About an hour before F8 was set to kick off, the social media giant posted an update to the Messenger website titled ‘Messenger at F8: Announcing a Faster, Lighter Messenger, Designed to Build Closer Connections.’
The change will see a significant overhaul to Facebook’s main chat app, including an ‘entirely new code base,’ Asha Sharma, director for Messenger consumer product, said in a now-deleted blog post.
Facebook touted a new initiative called ‘Project Lightspeed,’ which has resulted in Messenger being entirely rebuilt.
As part of the new design, Messenger is now less than 30 megabytes in size, meaning users can download and boot up the app faster than before, resulting in it loading in less than two seconds.
It’s unclear when the lighter version of Messenger will launch, but Sharma said it will take time to roll out.
Additionally, Facebook is rolling out end-to-end encryption in the app that will protect users messages from the prying eyes of governments, as well as the social media giant itself.
In doing so, Facebook is taking a page from WhatsApp, part of its ‘family of apps,’ which has offered encrypted messaging since its inception.
The company said it’s also launching a web browser version of Messenger for both Windows and macOS.
‘People want to seamlessly message from any device, and sometimes they just want a little more space to share and connect with the people they care about most,’ the company said.
‘So today we’re announcing a Messenger Desktop app. You can download the app on your desktop — both Windows and MacOS — and have group video calls, collaborate on projects or multi-task while chatting in Messenger.’
Facebook also doubled down on its plans for ‘interoperability,’ or letting users message their friends across its ‘family of apps,’ no matter what app their using.
AT A GLANCE: WHAT CHANGES WILL YOU SEE?
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