Facebook reportedly gearing up for ‘major’ iOS app revamps – integrating Graph Search

10 Oct 2013

Facebook is reportedly preparing updates for its chief iPhone, iPad and iPod touch apps. The social network is said to be testing the integration of its Graph Search tool in its main iOS apps. This would pave the way for users to locate fellow app users with interests similar to their own.

9to5mac.com reported a “a source familiar with the apps” divulged how Facebook is testing an updated version of its main iPhone, iPod touch and iPad apps that would integrate its Graph Search tool.

Such an imminent Facebook app update for iOS would apparently integrate Graph Search into the Facebook app’s main search bar on iOS, 9to5mac.com claimed.

A new search engine tool for the social media masses

Facebook first unveiled Graph Search last January.

At the time, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: “We are not indexing the web. We are indexing our map of the graph which is really big and constantly changing.”

Recently, Facebook expanded Graph Search to blend in posts and status updates.

As well as this, Facebook is reportedly in the process of carrying out a redesign of its Messenger app. The company is testing two new versions of its Messenger app, encompassing new interface elements – apparently green would be the colour for the Messenger app that would be brought into iOS.

In addition to a fresh interface, the new Messenger for iPhone app will be able to integrate with the user’s iPhone contact list to find friends and message them via Facebook’s system.

9to5mac.com also claimed Facebook is testing “several new filters” for the next iterations of Instagram.

It may be a while, yet, before users get to dabble with these software enhancements. That’s because these updates are seemingly in “dogfooding” stage, 9to5mac.com said.

Mobile phone data-transfer image via Shutterstock

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com