Facebook is testing a new, interesting feature in its news feed. The update allows users to view stories that have been classified under different topics.
The news comes to light after Twitter user Tom Crichlow posted a screenshot, where his Facebook news feed included additional tabs at the bottom of the screen, which apparently allow users to sort their news feed content.
Mashable reported that the feature has been seen on some iOS versions of the app and that this is the first time this feature has been spotted on an Android phone. It also reported that Facebook has confirmed the fact that it is testing sectioned news feeds.
"People have told us they'd like options to see more stories on Facebook around specific topics they're interested in," a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable via email. "So we have been testing a few feeds for people to view more and different stories from people and Pages based on topic areas."
The tabs reportedly can be switched between by tapping on them. Swiping on them reveals more tabs. This feature clearly points towards Facebook's efforts at making the platform the primary source of news for users.
Facebook introduced Paper, an iOS-only app that essentially behaves like a newspaper for a user's iPhone. Through Paper, users can read news stories and also curate their daily feeds based on the kind of content they are interested in. Facebook also introduced a newsfeed feature called Instant Articles, which it recently made available to all online publishers. Instant Articles reportedly loads pages up to 10 times faster and allows for an immersive experience.
