Facebook has begun testing a new feature, namely a tabbed news feed, rolling it out to some Android users. As first spotted on Twitter, the new tabbed news feed will allow Facebook users to sort their post based on visibility.
This all comes in the midst of a very busy few weeks and months for the company. Most recently Messenger has received a revamp, coming with a fresh look and a redesign.
Additionally, the company has faced a number of issues regarding the 2020 U.S. election. Facebook has banned political advertising as well as limiting the actions of some it is users when talking about this topic.
Never to be outdone the developers have also been working on this new feature. The idea is to give users more control over what they see and what they want to see in their news feed going forwards.
Facebook testing a tabbed news feed for users
One can never criticize Facebook for resting on its laurels when it comes to the app’s experience. It has been described as ‘bloated’ in the past but the company is always looking for ways to improve user experience on its apps.
This new feature aims to make feed exploring more comfortable, as reported by XDA Developers. The idea of a tabbed news feed gives users greater freedom in what they see on their feed.
As the above screenshot shows users will be able to sort posts based on Most Recent, Most Relevant, and Already Seen.
Most recent will sort posts in chronological order. Whilst the current default, Most Relevant, which sorts posts based on what we are most likely to want to see.
Finally, there is some confusion over what Already Seen will achieve. It will certainly filter out posts you have already come across. However, it is currently unclear as to whether it will sort posts into chronological order as well.
The new feature is currently in being tested internally by Facebook and not yet live to the public. The likelihood is that it will first become available through A/B testing.
Like with most of these things it is unclear as to who will receive the feature for testing. It is also unknown how long the testing process will go on for.
However, on the whole, this feature looks to be a positive one. Often one of the problems with the Facebook app is a bloated and boring news feed. Being able to have more choice over what you receive there can only be positive.