Facebook on Wednesday began rolling out an update to the News Feed that lets users view the most recent stories first.
The move is likely in response to complaints Facebook received when it eliminated users’ ability to view the News Feed in chronological order back in September. At that time, Facebook said its aim was to “act more like your own personal newspaper” by presenting the most interesting news that has been published since the last time a user signed in. But many users chafed at the loss of personal control over the News Feed view.
This latest update, which will roll out over the next several days, gives people the option to view most recent stories first. Users will be able to continue to view “highlighted” stories first, followed by recent stories, which is the default view today.
In an email, a Facebook spokesperson explained the update like this: “We hope this update makes News Feed easier to navigate while still showing all the news in one place… As always, we will listen to feedback and refine as needed.” That’s good to hear, but like the cliché says, actions speak louder than words — so it’s good to see Facebook making solid product adjustments to back up that statement.
Here are a couple screenshots of the News Feed update (click to enlarge):
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