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

RIP Paper: Facebook shreds its experimental, redesigned app for iOS

By

Facebook Paper stories
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Facebook’s Paper is no more. The company is shutting down the app, which was an attempt at redesigning the standard Facebook app, but ultimately failed to capture serious attention from a large number of users.

Paper was interesting solely because of its design — the app had customizable sections for different topics, including politics, technology, food, and so on. Paper was originally released in 2014, and was designed by Mike Matas from Push Pop Press, a design firm that Facebook bought in 2011.

Recommended Videos

“Our goal with Paper was to explore new, immersive, interactive design elements for reading and interacting with content on Facebook, and we learned how important these elements are in giving people an engaging experience,” said Facebook in a message to users.

Paper was launched as somewhat of an experiment, allowing users to experience Facebook in a new and interesting way. It was centered on consuming news content, however, it was only released to the iPhone, never getting an iPad version or an Android version. Paper was also the only app you could use to go through your news feed and reply to messages in the one app — the Messenger app was rolled out of the standard Facebook iOS app.

Despite being highly praised for its design, Paper hasn’t been in the most downloaded app list, which features 1,500 apps, since December 2014, according to a report from The Verge.

Of course, while the actual app is going to app heaven, certain concepts from the app have made their way over to the standard Facebook app. Instant Articles, for example, has a very similar design to Paper, including how it handles images and the fact that it lets publishers create their own custom designs.

It appears as though the app has already been removed from the app store.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper
Contributor
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
This one thing could make iOS 18 the best iPhone update in years
The Home Screen on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Apple’s WWDC 2024 is just a couple of months away. As with every WWDC, we’ll see what Apple has in store for the next generation of software across its hardware portfolio, including the iPhone with iOS 18.

Rumors have been swirling about iOS 18 and how it will be “one of the biggest updates yet.” We know some features like RCS support in Messages are definitely coming, with other whispers of big home screen customization changes and more.

Read more
When will Apple release iOS 18? Here’s what we know
An iPhone 14 laying face-down on a wood table.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will start on Monday, June 10. During the conference keynote, the company is expected to unveil new software updates for its major products, including iOS 18 for iPhones.

iOS 18 is expected to be a major iPhone update, likely ushering in a new design and AI features. If you are wondering when you can get your hands on the latest software version, here's everything you need to know about iOS 18's release date.
When will the iOS 18 beta be released?

Read more
The 7 biggest features we expect to see in iOS 18
The home screen on the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

Apple revealed that its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place on June 10. This is when we expect to see the next iteration of software across all of Apple’s products, including iOS 18.

From the sounds of it, we’re in for a big update with iOS 18, rumored to be one of the “biggest updates” yet. Here’s what we expect from Apple's next major iPhone update with iOS 18.
A more customizable home screen

Read more