Facebook is constantly testing small design changes on its platform, and today some Android users are getting a taste of Lollipop’s Material Design UI.
Android Police first reported on the changes, and as tends to be the case with Facebook, only some users are seeing the change so far. I noticed Material Design’s Floating action button on the bottom right corner of the app without needing an update, but a coworker had no such change.
This is what it used to look like:
When I click on the action button, I’m treated to Facebook’s standard status update interface. But for some users, the button is more functional. In some cases, clicking the button will bring up options to write a post, take or upload a photo, or share your location.
https://twitter.com/AhmadiehTarek/status/566251177302851584
When I tried reinstalling the app to see if I’d get the extra features, I was instead reverted to the standard, non-Material Design interface.
It’s a slightly unusual move for Facebook – while the company has moved towards the general flat design trend, it uses proprietary design guidelines for the most part.
Because a lot of what you see on the Facebook app happens on the server side, you don’t need an update to see the changes, but you’ll have to be part of the lucky test group.
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