Facebook 5.0 For iPhone And iPad Hits The App Store; Rebuilt From Ground Up, Twice as Fast

Back in June, we heard that Facebook was planning to launch a "blazing fast" iOS app.

That day has finally arrived. Facebook has just released the updated app for iPhone and iPad, which has been rebuilt from ground up and is apparently twice as fast.

 
Facebook's current iOS app was essentially a mobile website wrapped around familiar navigation elements. Most of the app is HTML5, and since Apple hasn't brought the Nitro JavaScript engine to UIWebViews,

Facebook on iPhone is annoyingly slow. But that changes with Facebook 5.0 for iOS.

Here's what you can expect in Facebook 5.0 for iPhone and iPad:

App opens quickly

We’ve rebuilt the app from the ground up, so now the app opens much faster and your news feed and notifications load right when you open Facebook.

Stories scroll smoothly

As you scroll down your news feed, all your friends’ stories appear faster than ever. A banner lets you know when new stories come in, and you can tap once to immediately see the latest updates.

Photos load instantly

Tap on any photo and it opens right away. Pull down to close it with a single swipe.

You can download Facebook 5.0 on your iPhone or iPad via the Updates tab in the App Store app or using this direct App Store link.

Update 1:

You can finally go offline in Chat on your iPhone and iPad, which was quite annoying issue for many users. Navigate to the Chat window, then tap on the wheel icon at the top and then tap on "Go Offline".

Update 2:

The app is definitely fast. If it's still slow for you, then you may try closing the app from the app switcher and launching it again.

Update 3:

Check out this link to find how Facebook rebuilt the app for iOS. It's a must-read for developers.

Is the updated app twice as fast for you? Tell us in the comments below.

[via Facebook blog]