Although Facebook has changed and introduced many features over the years, one thing it has never altered is the notifications tab. But now, Facebook has announced that is rolling out an update for its Android and iOS app bringing with it an “expanded, personalized notifications tab” that will display more than just people's interactions with your posts or informing you of friend’s birthdays.
The updated feature has been compared to Google Now in the way it looks and acts. It combines the existing data from the old notifications tab with what Facebook describes as “important information that [users] can easily see, all in one place.” This includes things like friends’ milestones, sports scores, TV reminders (based on pages you’ve liked) and more.
In addition to these new notifications, which Facebook is referring to as cards, users with Location History enabled within the mobile app will have the option to receive updates based on their current location. This includes cards showing upcoming weather or weather alerts, movies that are playing in theaters near the user, and recommendations of nearby places to eat with links to the places’ Facebook Pages and reviews. Facebook pointed out that the feature will use location history intelligently in order to avoid draining a device’s battery.
Facebook intends the updated feed to be a way for users to see information from across the entire platform in one location. “I want to know when to leave to show up for an event or I want a notification if my best friend is in town or I want a notification if I’m at a place and there’s really useful information about it,” Facebook product manager Keith Peiris told Mashable. He added that most users will see five to seven cards at any given time, but will have the option to adjust individual settings.
Facebook says the update won’t automatically change present notification settings, and that everything can be adjusted to a user’s personal preference. The update will be rolling out over the next few weeks in the US, but no word as to when it will expand internationally.
