Facebook Home, the home screen replacement for Android smartphones, may very well be dead a new report has claimed.
The New York Times, citing a couple of unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reports that Facebook has disbanded Facebook Home team – a move that seems to be a huge deviation from its once a major strategy on how it wanted users to use their smartphones.
Facebook spokesperson has denied any such development stating “There is a team working on Home and the experience is still supported and available in the Google Play store.”
Facebook Home, the social network’s multi-year effort to deeply integrate Facebook experience into an Android smartphone, was released last year with much fanfare. Once a user installs it, Facebook Home allows them to quickly view photos and send messages to their friends without requiring Facebook app or leaving the home screen.
However, the app didn’t garner rave reviews and was rated mediocre at best. One of the factors limiting its success could have been fewer options as far as handsets on which it could be installed – Samsung and HTC devices.
Facebook hasn’t updated the app since January and ‘chat heads’, which was a Facebook Home exclusive at the time, has already found its way into the mainstream Facebook app since.
News about Facebook Home’s demise comes on the tail of announcement of similar apps from Yahoo and Samsung. Even Nokia announced its own Android launcher dubbed Z launcher.
