Facebook for Android updated to version 1.9.7

Facebook for Android received its newest update, yesterday, that takes it to version - 1.9.7. The new version of the app, features the following improvements, over the previous one - 

Facebook for Android v1.9.7 is here..

• Facebook for Android 1.9.7 requires Android 2.2 and up
• A front-facing camera makes it easier to take photos
• New messaging features let you switch between conversations, include friends of friends, share bigger photos, and see who’s available
• Various bug fixes
• Made a security improvement
• Faster app login and navigation

The app received an updated, i.e.v1.9, less than three months ago. The previous update got in a couple of performance related upgrades that improved the feel of the user interface and made it less laggy, making it smoother and faster. The previous update featured the following improvements - 

• Improved performance and various bug fixes
• More messaging features like creating group messages and adding friends to existing group conversations
• Shortcuts to share photos and messages right from your home screen

The previous version saw the camera itself load up into a separate ‘Facebook camera’ app and not the default camera application. It let you instantly post the photographs that you’ve clicked from your phone. What was pretty cool about the interface is that it is pretty minimalistic and allowed you to instantly tag, upload and share your photos with location enabled (or disabled, based on your preference). Scrolling through the news feeds too felt a lot smoother and quicker. Once the app got updated, it did take a while to load initially but once it did, things were pretty smooth. No force closes or freezes or crashes were visible so far, so it looked  like a pretty stable update. The messenger application is pretty nifty as well and lets you chat with your Facebook buddies on the go. You can also differentiate between who is online and who is not. It introduced a major overhaul with the settings menu as well. However, if you’re not using the separate camera and messenger application then it might just add to the clutter in the number of icons on your menu. Anyway, we quite liked it because we do use the messenger app more than the main app in itself. 

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To get yourself the updated version of Facebook for Android, head over to the Google Play store.