Facebook’s got all kinds of applications outside of its core social networking app. For example, there’s Messenger, Rooms, Stickered, Riff, and more. Lots more. And pretty soon there will apparently be one more added to the list.
A new report claims that Facebook is prepping a “breaking news” app that’s meant to push alerts to users when important news happens. The app is currently in early testing with select companies, and there’s no word on when it might launch.
The way the app works is that after downloading the app, users can select publications to follow. They can also select general topics, called “stations” and “substations,” that they want to be alerted about. When news breaks, a publication can blast a notification to all of its followers that can include up to 100 characters of text as well as a URL to the publication’s website.
Facebook has shown that it’s interested in being the main news source for users. The company recently launched Instant Articles, which allow for publications to have their articles load instantly and offer a better-looking, more immersive reading experience. Interestingly, it sounds like this new app will send users directly to a publication’s site rather than their Facebook page, but perhaps Facebook just considers this app another way to get people to think of the ‘Book as a news source and not just a way to like meme-ified photos of Minions and status updates from your friends.