Facebook – This social media app, which was founded in 2004 boasts almost 3 billion users as of July 2022. In the near two decades of its existence, its developers have made several upgrades to ensure that the user experience on the app is seamless. Even third-party apps have come up with adaptations of the social medium. One of such versions is Facebook Touch, developed by H5 Apps in 2009.
What is Facebook Touch?
Facebook Touch is an advanced Facebook app that functions only on touchscreen smartphones and works as an alternative to the standard Facebook app. However, what difference does the use of Facebook Touch make for smartphone users?
Differences Between Facebook Touch and Facebook
Some areas where Facebook Touch checks out as better than the standard Facebook are;
Better graphics: Good graphics remain one of the highly sought factors by smartphone users across every social platform. This is one point that was improved on with the advent of Facebook Touch. In other words, with this improved Facebook version, users enjoy better graphics and a more user-intuitive interface.
Smoother browsing experience: Another minor setback one may encounter when using regular Facebook is network sensitivity. At any given time, a poor internet connection means you would need to reload whatever page you are viewing on Facebook. However, Facebook Touch is built to load even with a slow internet connection.
A separate IP address: Unlike the usual “m” that is found on Facebook’s IP address (http://m.facebook.com), Facebook Touch appears with “touch” in front of it (http://touch.facebook.com).
However, the following features are available on the regular Facebook but are absent on Facebook Touch .
Live videos: Under this tab, you find Facebook users who are currently airing live videos of various sorts. You can access this tab by clicking on the “videos on watch” tab and moving to the live section.
Reels: This section is very similar to YouTube Shorts. Here, you get to watch short videos on Facebook, although, to access comments on some reels, you would have to go through Instagram.
Gaming: This tab holds gaming communities, videos, and the likes available on Facebook.
Videos on watch: This tab contains various videos under the labels for you, live, gaming, following, and saved. Videos you save to watch later will appear under the saved tab.
Avatars: Here is a feature that is known from other apps like Snapchat. Using this feature, you can create your avatar.
Facebook pay: This is the part of Facebook that allows you to make contributions to other users using stars.
Fantasy games: One can consider this tab as the online games section. There is also a section labeled trophy room.
Offers: Discounts and deals from sellers on Facebook are displayed under this tab.
Mobile center: Facebook’s Mobile center allows users to perform actions like getting data loans, recharging, purchasing data using airtime or bank cards, and linking their NIN to their lines.
Wi-Fi & mobile performance: Under this tab, you get details on the strength of your network and how much you can do on Facebook with your current network strength. Here, you can run a speed test with a 30-second duration to get an almost accurate measure of your network limitations.
How does Facebook Touch Work?
In several aspects, Facebook Touch works just like your standard Facebook app. Here are some areas where operations across both apps might differ;
The first step would be to access Facebook Touch. The definite way to go about this is to install the app. Input the search query “Facebook Touch app” in your browser and complete the download process on one of the resulting pages.
Next, log in to your Facebook account. At this point, you may encounter difficulties logging in using your mobile number/email. If you do encounter this issue, click on “forgot password”. Use the option to log in with your full name/username and select the option to use your password. You can also choose the option asking that an SMS code be sent to your number.
Once that is settled, click the log in option.
The Facebook Touch app has the same layout as the previous version of Facebook. There are four sections on the homepage namely the news feed, friends, messages, and notifications. Like older versions of m.facebook, it still has the Facebook chat integration. In other words, you do not need Facebook messenger to chat with friends.
Pros & Cons of Facebook Touch
Facebook Touch Pros
Considering how Facebook Touch is an app designed for smartphones, media shared across this app has better resolutions than the regular Facebook that is meant for all devices including feature phones/mobile phones.
It can function fine on devices with low RAM as it does not take up much storage space.
Like Facebook, you can access Touch Facebook on the web if you would not like having the app on your device.
Cons
Facebook Touch is not available on app stores. This implies a longer process for anyone interested in installing the app.
Facebook Touch happens to function on equal levels with its parent app. When using Facebook Touch on your browser, your internet connection determines the quality of posts you see. This is the same case with the current version of Facebook.
Although Facebook Touch is described as the Facebook version with better graphics, Facebook has equally undergone updates to improve its graphics. Currently, the standard Facebook has better resolutions than Facebook Touch.
Most customization settings on the Touch app are available only to those who make donations to the app, in other words, premium versions. The app has five paid plans which are the basic, standard, medium, large, and extra large plans. In case you cannot access the option to make donations through Playstore (which is very likely), you will have no control over these settings on the app.
Limitations of Facebook Touch
Although most existing reviews of this Facebook alternative conclude that the limitations and cons of working with Facebook Touch outweigh the good, this may not be the case when making comparisons with the current version of M Facebook. Some clear limitations of Facebook Touch are;
Since 2009 when Facebook Touch was developed, Facebook has developed other alternative apps that perform the same function as Facebook Touch but in better ways.
It might be termed lacking in aspects of security. A major limitation here is the absence of SSL encryption which is paramount to keeping your data on Facebook secure and private.
The Facebook Touch interface seems like it is designed for small display smartphones as it does not fill the large screens of bigger smartphones.
The iOS does not accommodate Facebook Touch. In other words, Facebook Touch works on Android devices only.
FAQs about Facebook Touch
Availability of Features
Is the comment support system of Facebook available on Facebook Touch?
One of Facebook's exciting features is the comment promotion system. This feature is an income earning means for content creators, although it is not attached to every post. Giving stars to these people equals donating a certain amount of money. This feature, however, is not available on Facebook Touch.
Can I access Facebook Events on Facebook Touch?
Yes, you can. All events you add to your Facebook account would reflect on Facebook Touch. In the same way Facebook offers suggestions for upcoming events, there are some upcoming events for you to choose from on Facebook Touch. However, compared to the standard Facebook, the suggestions are highly limited.
Account Creation
Can Individuals create accounts with Facebook Touch?
Following the same steps for creating an account on the standard Facebook, you can create an account on the Touch app. The usual details like your name (preferably your actual name and not an alias), phone number, date of birth, and a confirmation code are all you need to get started. You can include other details to enhance your profile afterward.
If yes, do these accounts reflect on Facebook?
Fortunately, any account created on the Touch app reflects on Facebook as well. So if you have created an account on Facebook Touch, you do not have to spend time worrying if you can access this account on Facebook.
Wrapping Up
In the end, the question of the relevance of Facebook Touch stands. Indeed the several features and settings that make Facebook compact and more interactive are more or less absent on Facebook Touch.
However, if simple is what you need, Facebook Touch can very much serve its purpose as Facebook’s alternative. Although you might need to adjust if you are accustomed to the standard Facebook, you can get around to viewing stories and posts with ease. Considering how Facebook touch stands as the one of the most convenient among other Touch versions, trying it out may not be a mistake.