Facebook announced that it plans to launch a new iOS app in the U.S. on Monday. Not only will this new app radically overhaul how users view status updates, but it will also change the way they see photographs and videos posted by contacts, according to The Telegraph.
The new app is known as Facebook Paper. It will supposedly allow users to navigate through their news feeds item-by-item with a mere swipe of a finger. Each item will take up the entire screen and will have any accompanying captions overlaid. In addition, users will be able to pan from left to right simply by tilting their device.
That's not all that Paper will do, though. According to TechCruch, the standalone iOS news reader will deliver human and algorithm-curated full-screen articles and photos in categories that you select, such as Tech, LOL and Pop Culture. It also gathers news stories and other links that have been shared by your contacts and divides them into these sections to provide a customized news service, according to The Telegraph.
What's interesting about the new app is that it's streamlined. Paper cuts away virtually all buttons and other UI elements, according to The Verge. To navigate the app itself, you need to learn a basic set of gestures. Yet reminders will sometimes pop on screen in case the app thinks you're stuck.
There's also the ability to post to Paper (and Facebook) in a new kind of compose screen. This screen shows you exactly what the final post will look like, as well, according to The Verge.
The new app will be available for iPhone, but there's no word when (or if) it will be available for Android. If you want to learn more about Facebook Paper, you can check out the video below, courtesy of Vimeo.
Introducing Paper from Facebook on Vimeo.
