Facebook overhauls iPhone app to boost speed

Facebook's mobile website will remain available and based on HTML standards.

The iOS new app is part of Facebook's increasing focus on smartphones and tablets. It has warned investors that members are increasingly accessing their accounts via its apps, which do not yet bring in significant revenue.

In response to the threat, the firm has invested heavily in mobile development, including in London, where it is recruiting its first engineering team outside the United States, focused on mobile apps and gaming. Overall about 100 staff are now working on Facebook's mobile products.

Mike Schroepfer, Facebook's vice president for engineering, told the New York Times that "we have basically retooled and focused the company around mobile".

"It’s been a huge change," he said.

Observers have long called on Facebook to improve its mobile apps as a start. The old iOS app was rated only two stars by App Store customers, who left complained that it was slow, buggy and dated.

Early impressions of the new version were broadly positive.

"With a noticeably faster overall experience, an intuitive interface, touch-screen controls that take advantage of the larger screen real estate on the iPad, and all the functionality you get on the Web site, the latest version of Facebook for iOS is the best yet," said CNet in its four-star review.

The iOS overhaul came alonside a relatively minor update to Facebook's Android app make it easier to share events and photos.

Apple users will get more Facebook in autumn wwhen iOS 6 is introduced. After the two firms resolved a long-running fued, the new iPhone and iPad operating system will have Facebook features such as automated phot uploading built in.