Facebook for Android passes Facebook for iPhone

Facebook for Android has finally passes Facebook for iPhone in daily active users (DAU). The two were more or less tied head-to-head this week, but today the Android app has 58.8 million DAU while the iPhone app has 57.6 million DAU, according to AppData (1, 2). Put another way, the most popular app on Android is now more popular than the most popular app on iPhone.

Facebook for Android still has fewer monthly active users (MAU) than Facebook for iPhone: 86.1 million versus 99.5 million, respectively. On the flipside, this means a larger percentage of Android users are returning to use the app daily (68.3 percent) compared to iPhone users (57.9 percent). In other words, of the Android and iPhone users who have the official Facebook app, the former uses it more frequently than the latter.

The iPhone was first released in July 2008. More than a year later, the Android app followed with its first version in September 2009. Ever since, Android has been slowly trying to catch the iPhone version, but it’s taken a while: over two years.

Unlike other platforms, Facebook develops the apps for iOS and Android. For iOS, Facebook has long-supported the iPhone and iPod touch, and only started supporting the iPad two months ago. For Android, Facebook is currently only supporting smartphones and has said nothing about tablets.

Android users often complain about the state of the Facebook app, although it is getting better. Now that the Android version is eclipsing its iPhone counterpart, maybe Facebook will devote more development resources towards it.

Until recently, the iPhone version would get a feature first, and only much later would the Android app get it as well. This month is the first time that I remember Android getting a feature first: Mobile Timeline. Android got it earlier this week and iPhone got it today. Is this a new trend Android users can start to expect?

Read More

Facebook Rolls Out Timeline for Android First, Not iOS

Facebook pushed out its new Timeline feature Thursday. The long-awaited profile revamp, which arranges each user’s photos, posts and personal milestones chronologically, is now available to all users on its network for the first time since it was announced months ago.

Thursday’s rollout includes a version of Timeline for one of the major mobile platforms — but not the one you’d think.

Facebook is releasing Timeline to Android-based smartphones first, forcing iPhone and iPad users to wait.

Most of the features on the Android version of Timeline aren’t all that different from the browser version. Both include major cover photos that act as headers on the page, both depict map screenshots upon checking in to locations, and both give shared photos a more prominent position in your stream.

What’s odd, however, is the company’s decision to go with Android first. It’s almost an unspoken law of the Valley that if you’re planning to launch a new app, you start with Apple’s software first. Reasons include the ease of coding for a handful of fixed screen sizes — namely the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad — and the notion that a launch in the App Store causes a bigger stir than a launch in the Android Market.

And based on our conversations with programmers, we’ve been told that it’s just plain easier to develop for iOS given the toolsets provided, compared to what Google gives Android coders (though we can’t say either way).

Facebook, however, certainly isn’t hung up on monetizing its app, and considering it’s kept its Android app current while many other companies haven’t even launched non-iOS versions of their software, it’s not as if Facebook is struggling with Google’s developer tools or the myriad Android device screen sizes.

So why choose to go with Android first? Perhaps the company wants to target Google’s gigantic user base first. Or maybe Facebook just wants to switch it up to keep things fresh.

Fret not, Apple devotees. We’re sure iOS updates aren’t far behind. Today’s victory, however, goes to Android.

Read More