Facebook 6.0 for iOS brings Chat Heads to the iPhone, iPad

Android has been getting a lot love from Facebook recently with the introduction of Facebook Home and the new Chat Heads feature built into Facebook Messenger. Facebook doesn’t want iOS users to feel left out so the company is rolling out a new version of the Facebook app for iOS. The update will bring a redesigned news feed for the iPad as well as Chat Heads for both the iPhone and iPad, though there is a caveat.

The Chat Heads feature can only be used within the Facebook app itself. Chat Heads cannot pop up as a persistent notification throughout the phone like it does on Android since iOS doesn’t allow apps to have access to elevated privileges. However, iPhone Facebook users can look forward to sending a bunch of whimsical “stickers” to their friends.

Chat Heads are a great addition to the Facebook app for iOS as it helps users answer messages quickly without being taken away from browsing Facebook. It’s a shame that iOS doesn’t allow apps to deeply integrate with the operating system. This also means that Facebook Home won’t be coming to iOS any time soon, unless Apple changes its app developer policies. Adam Mosseri, Facebook’s director of product, told Bloomberg on that the company is in talks with Apple about bringing Facebook Home to the platform.

Still, iOS not getting Facebook Home wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

You can download the updated Facebook for iOS here.

Source: The Verge | Ars Technica