Facebook Tests New In-App Browser Feature on iOS
Last updated July 12, 2021
- Facebook runs a new browser test
- The new version allows users to close web pages by swiping them away
Facebook is testing out a new in-app browser feature that makes the opened page act like a separate app which you can swipe away.
Earlier today, over in the TechNadu newsroom, we noticed in the Facebook app on one of our editors' iPhone X that the browser feature was acting differently than it used to. Up until now, when you opened a regular link, this would open in a browser page that you could only close by hitting the "X" button or going back. Now, thanks to the recent update, you can slide away the opened browser page, making the experience a lot more fluid, as you can see in the attached GIF.
Another thing that we've noticed is that this feature only works on "normal" links shared on Facebook, and not on those that are marked as "instant articles," which load just as they had before. These "instant articles" are the ones marked with a lightning icon near the link in your feed.
We've tested this out on several devices, and it didn't work on any others. We also haven't noticed this feature on any Android devices yet, so we can only assume this is a limited iOS trial on random accounts that will reach the larger population if the company likes the response enough.
On our end, we particularly enjoyed the fact that it enabled a more fluid usage of Facebook's browser option whenever we opened a page, so we hope it stays.
What do you think about this new in-app browser feature on iOS? Let us know in the comments below. Also, to get instant tech updates, follow TechNadu’s Facebook page, and Twitter handle.
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