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Facebook Creates 'Like' For Mobile

Still trying to make its mark on mobile, Facebook is inviting third-party developers to use a new “like” action (for mobile), which more closely integrates their apps with the social network. 

“You can use the new like action to implement your own like button for a more integrated experience with your app on web and mobile platforms,” Facebook engineer Andrew Rothbart explained in a Wednesday blog post.

“Previously, when you liked someone's post inside an app like Instagram, the like would stay inside that app,” The Verge writes. Now, “the mobile ‘like’ action … will connect the dots between the ‘liking’ activity inside third-party mobile apps and Facebook,” writes VentureBeat.

As such, “each time a person ‘likes’ a piece of content or media in an app, that action [will be] published as a story in the News Feed and delivered as a Facebook notification to the corresponding friend.” “While this functionality has been available for Web sites for some time, mobile apps have not been able to do so until today,” PCMag notes. “The effort is part of Facebook's OpenGraph, which expands Facebook sharing across the Web.”

“This feature could help increase discovery and engagement of apps that integrate Open Graph,” suggests Inside Facebook.

“It’s a good thing for developers whose apps get the most use on mobile devices,” according toAllThingsD. “All those ‘Likes’ coming from phones weren’t showing up in the ticker before, but now … those actions will now flood in to the highly visible real estate on the ticker and inside of the News Feed.”

“In other awesome news, mobile apps don’t have to stick to Facebook’s iconic thumbs up for their Like button,” remarks WebProNews. “Mobile app developers can create their own like button in line with their app’s visual design to drive likes to Facebook.”

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