If you would see a screenshot of what Facebook looked like say, four years ago, you’d probably have a hard time believing how much it has changed. In spite of the many updates and major alterations in its very fabric (we’re looking at you, Timeline), its notifications tab is one of the few areas that Facebook hadn’t retouched.
Until now.
Get ready for revamped Facebook notifications in the iOS and Android apps, as the company will start rolling the update in the upcoming weeks; the new look includes a set of assistant-like memos about your friends, pages, and other topics based on previous activity and selected preferences.
We first got a peek of Facebook’s update in the works back in April, thanks to a Mashable report. The new notifications tab is designed to pop up reminders in the form of cards. If you’ve liked the page of FC Barcelona, for example, you may be reminded about an upcoming game via notification cards. In the same manner, you could set cards for running times of TV shows you like.
According to Keith Peiris, Facebook product manager, the maximum number of cards available is 15 different ones, but he mentioned that most users will only see somewhere between five and seven cards at any given time. In line with the company’s latest targets, the cards’ purpose is to “provide a more personalized experience.”
In addition to cards reminding you of various anniversaries and birthdays, there are the very convenient location-based reminders. Say you’ve RSVPed to an event; the new notifications could display a reminder in the day of the event letting you know what time you should leave in order to not be late.
If the thought of having more notifications isn’t exactly enticing to you, you will be able to fine-tune how many cards you’ll receive – or disable them completely.
But you could also have info delivered to you about new movies coming to theaters near you, or have the notification center alert you when out-of-town friends visit your city. For those worried that these location-based features will eat away at your smartphone’s battery, Peiris clarified the cards will use location history intelligently, so there are no worries.
Facebook is really not the first tech company to dive into the fascinating business of predictive technology. But unlike Google Now of Microsoft’s Cortana, Facebook has decided that notifications could be a little more useful than a full-out assistant. (However, it’s only fair to mention Facebook is also working on an A.I.-based personal assistant called M. Why not have both?)
Image Source: TechnoBuffalo