Facebook for iOS rolls out related content cards

Facebook has recently announced the planned fragmentation of its services into separate apps. With that in mind, the company is now testing a new feature which might be reminiscent of Google Now, with a radically different twist.

Facebook’s new context cards are now being tested in iOS, by a small group of users, and are designed to provide not only real-time information about friends activity, but also a range of information the user is likely to be interested in.

The information is color-coded, using green for content, red for places, yellow for photos and blue for birthdays.

How’s it different from Google Now?

Facebook cards provide a context-relevant experience, in a similar way as Google Now, but there won’t be a search feature. If we were to speculate, the logic behind the lack of a search feature becomes apparent, as Facebook is likely to monetize context cards by charging local businesses for a higher likelihood of showing on devices nearby.

This new feature will be a high-seller for iOS users, and potentially Android users alike, as it provides a powerful alternative to the traditional Facebook news feed.

The other advantage is that Facebook users are likely to engage a lot more with cards than they do with the actual Facebook app interface, hence reducing the potential for squandered engagement.

Facebook has since learned from its Sponsored Posts experience, and it seems that this move will put Facebook back on the right track to an new and more effective advertising model.