The Facebook app could be burning through the battery on your smartphone, a new test has found.
According to an independent study by Tech World Zone, the Facebook app on Android can account for as much as 20 per cent of your battery life.
The study cites app user Russell Holly – who removed the Facebook app from his phone, only to discover that performance and battery life increased dramatically.
Inspired by his success, a group of users on Reddit decided to take on the experiment and delete the Facebook app.
One Android user swapped the official mobile app for Metal – a lightweight container that acts as a wrapper for the Facebook website – on a Huawei Nexus 6P.
The user reported a 20 per cent increase in battery life over the course of a day, as well as better performance.
The drop in performance and battery experienced by those with the Facebook app installed is likely due to it working in the background.
If you allow it, Facebook will refresh in the background to make sure you have to most up-to-date information when you next click on the app.
Tech World Zone contacted Facebook when it published its findings.
A spokesperson for the company told the company: "We have heard reports of a few people encountering speed issues coming from our Android application.
"We are investigating this and will update you as often as possible. We are focused on keeping on enhancing these issues."
Hopefully Facebook manages to rush a fix out for the Android app in the near future.
The news comes as Facebook pushed-out an update to its Android app that integrated the social network with Android Auto.
This update will allow Messenger users to use voice commands in order to hear readouts of messages they've received, and dictate replies, all without needing to touch their device.
Messenger users looking to chat whilst they drive will simply need to have the app installed on their Android device.
From there, all it needs is to sync with the Android Auto app to start using Messenger in your car.
Messenger will come with a number of pre-set voice commands to help with setting up the service, including a potentially life-saving one that simply says, "I'm driving right now" as a quick reply.
First released in March 2015, Android Auto is Google's attempt to break into the connected car market.
The platform already works with a number of leading apps, including Google Maps, Skype and WhatsApp, as well as a number of entertainment services.
Google has signed many of the world's leading car manufacturers to use the service, including Hyundai, Audi, VW, and Skoda.
The launch is Facebook's latest bid to further expand the reach of Messenger, which has over a billion users worldwide.
Earlier this year, Facebook launched a stripped-back new version of the app, dubbed Messenger Lite, that will work on older Android smartphones with less memory and less powerful processors.
The slimmed-down Messenger Lite will also work in markets with slower than average internet speeds.
0 comments: