Facebook's navigation bar is simply a list of icons that allow users to navigate. And here, the social media giant is redesigning it to prioritize the services that users use most frequently.
The navigation bar spans at the bottom of the screen on the iOS app and the top on Android. Previously, it showed all users in a region or country the same five icons.
But with the update, Facebook is showing only the News Feed, Notification, and Menu icons, with the other slots replaced with icons that users use the most.
For example, users who rarely use Watch (Facebook's video hub) but frequently use Marketplace, will see the latter. The icons can also change to link their Profile, Friend Requests, or Groups.
Each time the navigation bar's shortcut changes or has something added, Facebook will notify the user.
The updated navigation bar can feature four to six of frequently used services. And if they can’t be found there, users can access them under the Menu icon.
The navigation bar update can make experience more user-friendly than before.
Instead of fix icons, it will show users the shortcuts based on their preferences. This way, Facebook's mobile navigation can be more personalized, making things easier for users to access their most wanted/preferred feature.
Facebook keeps the News Feed, Notifications and Menu because they are the most important features of the social media. But eventually, according to the company, there are plans to provide an option to let users "have more control over what they see," allowing greater customization to Facebook's app and experience.
"We want the shortcuts available in the navigation bar to reflect how an individual uses Facebook," explained Facebook's product manager Alexa Andrzejewski in a statement. "To that end, we’re customizing mobile shortcuts so everyone can more easily connect with their most frequently used products."
The redesigned navigation bar has been on the works since February 2018, as a way for Facebook to push its key product to users, while at the same time, allowing users to customize experience according to their preferences.
The company is constantly tweaking its app to add improvements and see what works, and this update is also a reminder of how the social media is tracking much of what users are doing on its platform. At a time when Facebook's data collection practices are under intense scrutiny, especially following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The company is rolling out the update after revamping its Marketplace section, and made its News Feed more friend-focused, as well as changing the algorithms to reduce fake news and clickbait.
It comes days after Facebook announced slower-than-expected growth in terms of monthly active users that plummeted its stock price by more than 20 percent.
