At its press conference today, November 3, 2010, Facebook announced that it will be making mobile platforms more social and introduced new features that will be available in its mobile apps on the iPhone and Android platforms. Among the features announced are single sign on on mobile devices, improved Places integration on the iPhone, the introduction of Places and Groups features for Android, and the introduction of “Deals” for Places.
Single Sign On
With the introduction of single sign-on features for both iPhone and Android platforms, users will now be able to use Facebook Connect integration in native apps without the need to reenter their usernames and passwords. Apps on the Android and iPhone platforms will now be able to use the Connect API right on a mobile device to log in.
“Gone is that tedious annoyance of having to type in your username and password again on a tiny phone keyboard. Gone are those frustrating moments when you forget one of your many username and password variations and can't access an application,” Facebook said on its blog today.
As it currently stands, when a user wants to utilize Facebook Connect integration on a mobile app such as Flixter, Groupon, SCVNGR, or Yelp, he has to press the ubiquitous blue Facebook Connect button in the app, then reenter his Facebook username and password. One single sign on is fully implemented in other common apps, the user will be able to press the Facebook Connect button and be signed in to the app, in a way similar to how Facebook Connect now works on the Web.
Third-party apps that currently use Facebook Connect will have to be updated before single sign on is available to them – many app updates that use the new single sign on features will be released this coming Wednesday for iPhone – but many apps that use the new single sign on, including Flixter, Groupon, Loopt, SCVNGR, Yelp, and Zynga Poker, are now available on the Android Market.
Places and Groups for Android
The latest update of the Facebook for Android app, version 1.4, will introduce Facebook Places and Facebook Groups functionality on the Android Platform. Now Android users will be able to check into their favorite restaurants, bars, businesses, stores or any other Places right from the Facebook app on their Android phones, without having to pay a visit to touch.facebook.com.
Facebook also plans on introducing Facebook Groups integration into its Android app that will allow users to manage and communicate with their groups, just the same as they would be able to if they were on the full version of the Facebook website.
Deals on Facebook
The biggest announcement to come from today's press conference was Facebook Deals, a new platform that will allow businesses to offer customers deals just for passing by or checking in, similar to the way businesses on Foursquare offer deals to users who check in or are the “Mayor” of their locations.
Accessible through the latest version of the Facebook for iPhone application or through touch.facebook.com, Facebook Deals will allow users to check in to certain locations to receive coupons or some other sort of reward. Many major retailers are currently slated to participate in Facebook Deals, including Gap, American Eagle Outfitters, H&M, JCPenny, McDonald's, Texas Tech, and Starbucks.
Gap, the first retailer to participate in Facebook Deals, will be offering free blue jeans to the first 10,000 customers to check in and accept the deal; American Eagle, H&M, and JCPenny will be offering discounts for accepting their deals; McDonald's and Starbucks promise to donate $1 to charity for each check in that they receive. A full list of retailers and schools participating in the first round of Facebook Deals can be found on the Facebook Blog.
Look for these new features, as they will begin rolling out this week. The update to the Facebook for Android app is already available on the Android Market, and the update to the Facebook for iPhone app should be available on the iTunes App Store very soon.
Nicholas Anderegg - Nick Anderegg is an experienced freelance writer who has done everything from working as a contributing writer for several online ...
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