New versions of the Facebook app for Android and iPhone rolled out a few weeks ago. The Android app finally gets Places/Groups functionality, putting it on par with the iPhone app. iPhone users will get some improvements to Facebook Places. Unfortunately, at the last Facebook Mobile event, there was no mention of the mythical Facebook iPad app because, well, there isn’t one. According to Mark Zuckerberg, “the iPad isn’t mobile.”
Well then.
There are basically three new features announced for Places that are going to matter for you and me:
- One click sign in on mobile device apps without having to type anything in
- New APIs for developers to create apps that update based on location check ins using Facebook Places
- Facebook Deals
I’m sure you’re all painfully aware at how annoying manually signing in to tens of different apps is, even if you are just putting in your Facebook login for each one. With this new sign in button, developers can implement a login button that doesn’t require any key inputs from the user at all – just a tap is all. It works using the same permission system as apps and games do on the Facebook website.
What does this mean for us? Well, assuming app developers implement this feature in the future, having to login to any service on your phone may be as simple as tapping a “Facebook Sign-In” button once. Pretty nifty.
We won’t spend much time going over the second one because it’s basically allowing for developers to create apps that use Facebook Places that automatically update with you and your friends’ check-in data. There were some restrictions on the API in the initial release, which is why you haven’t seen very many 3rd party apps using Facebook Places out there.
Deals is the real interesting one. It’s going to be a big reason to use Facebook Places.
You know how some Foursquare locations have a deal or perk available only to the Mayor of the place? Well, Facebook Deals allows for as many people as the retailer wants to get in on a particular deal. Just for checking into a location using Facebook Places.
According to TechCrunch, here are some of the deals announced:
- Gap is giving away 10,000 free pairs of blue jeans. And when they run out of those, they’re giving 40 percent off of any product when someone checks-in to any of their nationwide stores.
- A smaller cinema chain, Alamo Draft House, is giving away a free pint glass when you check-in. And they’ll have offers for special events for friends.
- The North Face is giving $1 to charity for a store check-in or a check-in to a number of national parks.
- The Palms hotel in Las Vegas is giving away a free third night when you stay for two nights. Or you can get a room upgrade.
- The Golden State Warriors are giving away access to a free event with players if you check-in to a game.
The Gap one is clearly the most fun, seeing as how most of us are in Los Angeles, not in the Bay Area or Austin. (Although, I’m sure if the Lakers were to give away access to an event with Sasha Vujajic and Theo Ratliff, we’d be all over Staples Center.) By allowing more people than just the “mayor” of a location to reap the benefits of checking in, you create a feeling of “Hey, I actually have a shot at getting something cool!” rather than “Eh, I’m never going to become Mayor so why bother?” You can also easily share deals with your friends by simply tagging them on the app with a couple of taps.
Will Facebook Places become the defacto check-in app for everyone? It’s kind of tough to say because location-based social apps are only as good as your friends on them. Most people are already very entrenched in their community, whether it be Gowalla, Foursquare, or Yelp. Change is always annoying. If anyone had the wherewithal to populate a social network, though, it would definitely be Facebook. Getting companies to chip in free stuff won’t hurt either.
We should start seeing Deals pop up in the coming months as Facebook rolls out the tools for retailers to set them up.
What do you guys think? Will Facebook Deals get you to switch over from Gowalla or Foursquare as your primary check-in tool?
