Why Facebook had to kill its Groups app
For the last few months, Mark Zuckerberg and other top Facebook execs have been gushing about groups.
The way they see it, Facebook Groups, which let like-minded users communicate outside of the main News Feed, is an integral part of social network's future as it passes the 2 billion user mark.
So it may have come as a surprise to see the company quietly removed its standalone Groups app from the App Store and Google Play last week. If the social network is suddenly so into groups, why would it pull the app dedicated to the feature?
SEE ALSO:How I finally broke my Facebook addictionIn a statement, the company said it made the decision to discontinue the app because "we've found that we can do more with and for the community by investing in the main Facebook app."
That may be the case, but there are a number of other reasons why the app had to go as well.
The app was first launched in 2014, when Groups was already becoming one of Facebook's more popular features, and it was also around this time that Mark Zuckerberg started talking about "unbundling" the main Facebook app.
The Groups app.Credit: facebookThe company had already started forcing people over to Messenger, its standalone chat app, earlier that year and, since Groups already had 700 million monthly active users, it was the next logical target for "unbundling."
But even at its peak, Groups was never as successful as Messenger. It was always optional, for one, so users never hadto download it in the first place. Still, it had a large following. It had about 15 million downloads across both app stores worldwide, according to Sensor Tower, and even in its last month in the App Store in July, it managed to nab about 250,000 downloads.
Despite this, it seems at some point Facebook decided to stop putting resources into Groups. The app stopped getting regular updates in the fall of 2016 and, even before then, its App Store reviews were overwhelmingly negative, with users complaining about frequent crashed and bugs making the app unusable.
Facebook Groups' reviews were overwhelmingly negative, thanks to frequent bugs.Credit: app annie"I really want to be able to just have this app to keep up with friends and not have to actually go on Facebook. But the app is currently pretty terrible and it drives me crazy," one reviewer wrote.
That may actually get at the heart of why Facebook decided it had to kill the app -- it provided too easy of a way for people to use the social network without ever touching the main app. Facebook's main app and website is where the company makes the bulk of its ad revenue so it's not surprising they'd want to encourage people to go there rather than a standalone app.
And if Facebook really thinks Groups are such an important part of Facebook's future success, it needs to send the message that it's an important part of Facebook's core service -- not something people can use in place of it.
Featured Video For You
This electric unicycle is actually way cooler than it sounds
相关文章
- You're playing the latest Call of Mario: Deathduty Battleyardon your perfect gaming PC. You're looki2024-09-22
Allegri's Juve rebuild off to rocky start following Ronaldo exit
TURIN:Massimiliano Allegri is the man who has taken Juventus closest to their dream of Champions Lea2024-09-22- 先进装备亮相!第二十二届广东种业大会农机亮点抢先看_南方+_南方plus12月11日-13日,第二十二届广东种业大会将在广东省农业技术推广中心柯木塱示范基地举办。在大会农机装备展示和演示区以下简称“农2024-09-22
Kudlow: Trump blasted Canada because he can’t show weakness before Kim summit.
President Donald Trump may have gotten the United States into a fight with one of its closest allies2024-09-22Expanded police surveillance will get us “broken windows” on steroids.
Across the United States, cities are spending a larger share of the money at their disposal buying a2024-09-22Trump boarded Air Force One with toilet paper stuck to his shoe
In an image that perfectly encapsulates the shitstorm that is 2018, President Donald Trump boarded A2024-09-22
最新评论