Facebook unveils 'Home' Android product

With its new “Home” on Android gadgets, Facebook aims to put its social network at the centre of people’s mobile experiences.

Facebook has introduced software called Home that makes the social network the hub of any smartphone running Google’s Android operating system. The idea behind the software is to bring Facebook content right to the home screen, rather than requiring users to check apps. “Home” comes amid rapid growth in the number of people who access Facebook from phones and tablet computers.

Available for download starting April 12, the service is part of Facebook’s move to shift its users’ focus from “apps and tasks” to people, said CEO Mark Zuckerberg during Home’s unveiling at the company’s Menlo Park, California, headquarters on Thursday.

The new product, which can reside on the home screen of Android phones, is a family of apps designed around people’s Facebook connections. Rather than see a set of apps for email, maps and other services on the screen, users will be greeted with photos and updates from their Facebook feeds.

“We think this is the best version of Facebook there is,” Zuckerberg said.