Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Facebook Home now available on HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, and Sony Xperia ZL

By
screen-shot-2013-04-04-at-1-15-19-pm-625x1000
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Have you been wanting desperately to try out the new Facebook Home interface, but found that it isn’t compatible with your device? Fret not. The company appears to be hard at work updating the software so that more smartphones can get it up and running.

According to Android Central, Home is now available on three more devices: the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, and Sony Xperia ZL. HTC One, however, is the only device in which the launch is official. The latter two will support the software just fine, but it’s technically an unofficial release. While you can download the plug-in, upon launching it, you’ll see a message indicating that your device is not yet supported, but are given the option to “Use Home Anyway.” And from what we’ve been told, it works just as well as it does on officially supported devices.

Recommended Videos

HTC One was one of the four devices that Home was supposed to be compatible with upon the April 12 launch, but for some reason, it wasn’t until now that users were actually able to get it to work. Galaxy S4 was listed as a “down the line” device, so we’re happy to see that it’s available, even if not officially.

This new ability to connect these devices came just after a Facebook press conference, where the company revealed that, in less than a month, it has seen roughly one million downloads. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that one million people are actually using the plug-in, so active users could be at a fraction of that total number, depending on user experience.

It was right after this intimate press conference that Facebook unrolled the software update for Home. It was the first that we’ve seen since April 22, but a pretty significant one. And we’re hoping to see more frequent rollouts to more and more smartphones in the coming weeks.

Have you downloaded Facebook Home? Did you love it or hate it? We’d love to hear about your experiences. Let us know in the comments below.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Joshua Pramis
Joshua Pramis
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Spending a childhood engrossed in such technologically inspiring television shows like Voltron, Small Wonder, and Power…
OnePlus 10T vs. Samsung Galaxy S22: Should you spend an extra $150?
OnePlus 10T screen.

OnePlus has revealed the OnePlus 10T, a companion smartphone to the OnePlus 10 Pro. The first entry in its "T" series since the OnePlus 8T from 2020, it combines the powerful 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip with a sharp 6.7-inch AMOLED display, implausibly fast 125W charging, and a triple-lens camera setup. And at $650, it's a great price too.

But the OnePlus 10T isn't the only Android flagship on the market. One of its biggest direct competitors is the Samsung Galaxy S22. It too is competitively priced, retailing for $799 and often available for even less. Despite the great price, it has a number of premium features — such as a beautiful design, a richly detailed screen, and a similarly muscular 4nm chip.

Read more
The Galaxy Watch 4’s best charging trick is also Samsung’s worst ecosystem problem
Charging Galaxy Watch 4 with Galaxy S22 Ultra

For all the slick Wear OS tricks and comprehensive fitness features that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic offers, battery life is somewhat of a letdown. Even with an average day of usage involving continuous heart rate monitoring and GPS tracking for outdoor workouts, you will find yourself looking for the charging puck at the end of the day.

Samsung ships a wireless charging puck in the retail package. But this one takes about two hours to fully juice up the 46mm variant of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. That’s a bit too slow, considering the fact that smartwatches half its asking price — such as the divisive OnePlus Watch — take just about an hour to go from empty to 100%.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus vs. iPad Air 4
Galaxy Tab S8 back.

With the launch of Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 series, you might be wondering whether to splash out on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus or go for Apple's iPad Air 4 instead. Although the decision might ultimately come down to whether you prefer Android or iOS, there are plenty of other factors to consider, too. We've done the hard work for you and compared the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus against the Apple iPad Air 4 across six core categories -- from design and display to battery life and special features -- and crowned an overall winner. Which tablet is the one for you? Keep reading to find out.
Specs

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus
iPad Air 4

Read more