Facebook Home Ascends to 500,000 Downloads, Scores Low User Ratings
The good news for Mark Zuckerberg and company is that there appears to be a lot of interest for Facebook Home, the new Android launcher that puts the world's most popular social playground front and center on compatible devices. As first noted by Twitter user Benedict Evans, Facebook Home raced to 500,000 downloads from Google Play in its first week of availability. At the time of this writing, Google Play is listing between 500,000 and 1 million downloads.
That's still only a tiny fraction of Facebook's entire userbase, but it's an impressive feat nonetheless, especially considering the short time it's been available and the limited number of devices the launcher is compatible with. So, what's the bad news?
Out of 11,355 users who bothered to rate the app, over half gave it a 1-star rating. Facebook Home's current user rating sits at a measly 2.2 stars on Google Play's 5-star scale. One of the most common complaints is that the app drains battery life, though that's not the only gripe.
"Battery runs out at dinnertime. Allows anyone to pick up my phone and read, like, and comment without entering my PIN. No widget support, fewer apps per Home screen. Once unlocked, resorts to old boring Facebook app. A software blunder with the ranks of Apple Maps," Google Play user Matt Gauthier wrote.
Not everyone dislikes the app. The 5-star category currently has the second most votes at 1,862. Another Google Play user, Clemen Chiang, writes that "It saves so much time in navigation. Who would ever thought of such a product design. Awesome!"
Have you given Facebook Home a test drive? Do you plan on using it?
That's still only a tiny fraction of Facebook's entire userbase, but it's an impressive feat nonetheless, especially considering the short time it's been available and the limited number of devices the launcher is compatible with. So, what's the bad news?
Out of 11,355 users who bothered to rate the app, over half gave it a 1-star rating. Facebook Home's current user rating sits at a measly 2.2 stars on Google Play's 5-star scale. One of the most common complaints is that the app drains battery life, though that's not the only gripe.
"Battery runs out at dinnertime. Allows anyone to pick up my phone and read, like, and comment without entering my PIN. No widget support, fewer apps per Home screen. Once unlocked, resorts to old boring Facebook app. A software blunder with the ranks of Apple Maps," Google Play user Matt Gauthier wrote.
Not everyone dislikes the app. The 5-star category currently has the second most votes at 1,862. Another Google Play user, Clemen Chiang, writes that "It saves so much time in navigation. Who would ever thought of such a product design. Awesome!"
Have you given Facebook Home a test drive? Do you plan on using it?
