Recent reports suggest Facebook has already begun testing an internal search engine for its mobile app.
According to Techcrunch, the social networking giant is currently testing a new feature which will let users search for websites and articles within the app and link them to their status updates.
The report added that the “in-app” search engine has already been spotted on iOS for some users in the US. The feature adds a new ‘Add A Link’ option along with share photos and location options in the ‘status update’ section of the Facebook app for iOS. When the user taps on the option, Facebook allows the user to search the entire Facebook ecosystem for the articles, posts that they may want to share and then adds that article to their feed.
The report claims that the new feature, once rolled out, will make it simpler for users to search and share on mobile devices as they will no longer have to search, copy the URL and then paste it while using mobile phones.
It is believed that the new feature will help publishers push more content to Facebook and also add value to the social networking giant’s recent effort to get publishers to post content directly to the site.
“This all benefits Facebook. A boost from the Add A Link button could make publishers even more dependent on the social network,” the report noted.
Facebook has confirmed the new feature saying “We’re piloting a new way to add a link that’s been shared on Facebook to your posts and comments.”
There is no word on when the update will be made available to everyone.
