 "Facebook Home crosses 500,000 downloads on Google Play Store")
Looks like the mixed reviews and the privacy scare has not deterred Facebook users from adopting Home, the Android launcher released by the world’s largest social network earlier this month.
As per the latest figures from the Play Store, Facebook Home has passed 500,000 downloads on the Android store ten days after it was launched. Though the app continues to have rollercoaster reviews, which bring down its average rating to 2.2, it would seem the novelty of the experience has drawn many users. Of course, just the download count seems like a vague way to gauge consumer interest as the numbers don’t show how many users are still using Home.
Home brings a brand new Facebook experience for Android
Another point to be noted is that the apk for Home has been floating around in the wild with several users forced to sideload it in the initial days when the app was a US-only affair. Between April 12 and 16, when the app was made available to international users, several modified apks cropped up, downloads of which do not count towards the official tally.
While 500,000 downloads might seem too few in comparison to Facebook’s massive 1 billion-plus user base, the app’s progress is also limited by the number of devices it can run on. Hardware requirements rule out most mid-range handsets, leaving only the high-end ones capable of using Home. By comparison, the main Facebook Android app has been downloaded between 100 million and 500 million times.
A look at the graph presented on the Play Store also makes for an interesting reading, which says the number of new downloads for Home has actually dropped since its international launch on April 16. Home is currently available on certain devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy Note II, HTC One X and HTC One X+. Besides these phones, Home also runs on the HTC First, which was launched alongside the app on April 4.
Adoption may be great, but reception for that app is altogether a different matter. Out of the 11,073 user ratings at the time of writing, over half i.e. 5,700 are a 1 Star and just over ten percent of the ratings i.e 1,832 are 5 Stars.
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