Facebook beginning to push Android updates without using Google Play

In a mysterious and confusing move, Facebook has begun pushing updates to its Android app without going through Google’s Play Store. Many users began seeing a Facebook update download in the background late yesterday, with many users complaining that the download wouldn’t complete.

Tech blog, Liliputing, reported that the update is, in fact, legitimate and contains updates that allow users to change his or her profile picture, hide stories, report spam, and initiate group conversations more quickly. Perhaps the most alarming update is the ability for the Facebook app to automatically update without alerting users.

This is fundamentally different from how updates are handled with the Google Play Store and may explain why Facebook is attempting to go behind Google’s back. Usually on Android when an app has an update, the user is alerted with a notification from the Play Store. There is an option to give applications the ability to update without alerting the user but if an app’s permission changes, it must be manually updated, forcing users to read the changed permissions. Perhaps Facebook doesn’t want users to review updated permissions for future updates and that’s why it’s going around Google’s app store.

Image credit: Chris Park

Have you seen this mysterious Facebook update? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Liliputing