Great news for social media enthusiasts, as Facebook is now available on Windows smartphones, if it is running a Windows 10 OS. Forbes reports that the social network has released a beta version of the Facebook application specifically for smartphones that run Windows 10. This is the first time that Facebook has developed an application specifically for Windows users, as the FB app that does come with a Windows-enabled phone is actually developed by Microsoft and not Facebook.
Rich Edmonds wrote on Windows Central that developing a Facebook app for the Windows Phone has been "a pain," but commends the team behind the app for its "solid" offerings since it first rolled out the Windows app that featured the Facebook branding, API access, and other design cues so familiar to FB users on iOS and Android.
This move may come a little bit to late, as Microsoft is still struggling to keep up with its mobile phone operations. In fact, Market Watch reported last month that the tech giant will lay off 1,850 workers and will spend as much as $950 million on restructuring and impairment. Just last year, the company let go 7,800 workers in their mobile-phone segment following the acquisition of Nokia Corporation in 2014.
Microsoft executive vice president Terry Myerson, however, is adamant that the company isn't closing up shop in terms of mobile development. In fact, they are looking to continue what they started with their Lumia mobile phones, and together with the release of Windows 10 mobile, hope to capture a larger share of the market. Adding an improved Facebook app (and hopefully more social media applications) may also be a step towards getting more users' attention.
In an email to Microsoft employees, Myerson wrote, "When I look back on our journey in mobility, we've done hard work and had great ideas, but haven't always had the alignment needed across the company to make an impact."
Mobile users will have to wait on that impact later this year, as mobile phone giants are gearing up to release their latest iterations of their handsets.
