New “Facebook for Every Phone” App Brings Photo Uploading and More to 2500 Different Feature Phones
Today, Facebook officially launched “Facebook for Every Phone”, a downloadable native mobile app compatible with 2500 different feature phones. The app is a rebranding and improvement on the “Facebook for Feature Phones” app Facebook built with Snaptu before it acquired that company in March. The app brings a smartphone-like experience to less advanced handsets, and includes the ability to upload photos and pull a phone’s contacts into the Facebook Friend Finder.
The app will help users of older phone models, including many in the developing world, gain access to more Facebook features. To make sure users get hooked on this deeper experience, Facebook has collaborated with 20 international carriers to offer 90 days of free data access to the app.
We’ve been tracking Snaptu’s Facebook feature phone app since June 2009, and have watched it climb to 1.76 million daily active users, just down from its peak of 1.89 million DAU last month. In an effort to improve its offering for feature phones, Facebook partnered with the Israeli Snaptu in January 2011 and offered 90 days of free access to Facebook for Feature Phones from several East Asian and Central European carriers.
