Facebook adds 3D Touch support, tests a dedicated Shopping feed
Facebook updated its iOS app on Monday, with its usual incredibly unhelpful update notes. (Paraphrasing: We update our app every two weeks, but we won’t tell you what is in the new version until after you’ve updated and launch the app, that is, if we think you need to know.) What the notes don’t disclose is that this update, to version 41.0, adds 3D Touch support for users of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. On those devices, you can hard-press the Facebook icon on your home screen to write a post, upload a photo or video, or take a new photo or video inside the Facebook app itself.
Some users are also seeing a brand-new Shopping feed inside the Facebook app, with carousels of product ads. Tap one to open a full-screen view, which Facebook calls Canvas, with larger photos, more views, and a link to buy them on the retailer’s websites. Some businesses are even using Facebook’s Buy button to sell you products right on Facebook. A corporate blog post outlines the changes, but this is still a test, so it hasn’t rolled out to everyone—none of here at Macworld HQ are seeing the Shopping section.
Facebook isn’t the only app that added new tricks for the latest and greatest iPhones. Day One, one of our favorite journaling apps, released version 1.17.4 on Sunday, including a 3D Touch menu that lets you quickly jump to New Entry, New Photo Entry, and Last Photo Taken.
The update also comes with a new Apple Watch app that takes advantage of watchOS 2.0, with a more streamlined design. Launch it, and you’ll see a big microphone button that lets you dictate a short entry, along with a location button that lets you quickly log your location. That’s it. Clean and simple.
TripAdvisor also pushed out an iOS 9 update on Monday to support Spotlight Search. Now if you search for a restaurant, hotel, or attraction that you’ve previously saved in TripAdvisor, you should see a result that lets you jump right to that listing inside the TripAdvisor app.