Earlier today, Facebook introduced a new app called Notify. The company informed the people about this new application by posting an article in its own newsroom. The features and use of the app were explained on the post as well.
Firstly, it was noted that Notify is initially available for iOS users in America. The app allows users to get alerts from specific sites or companies that they like. In short, the user can customize the notification based on personal preference and interests.
Most probably the best thing about this Facebook's new offering is the kind of notifications that users can get. Unlike the other sites where you get updates on your news feed, with Notify, you can filter topics that you really want. Also, the app has another useful function, it can let you save notifications for later viewing.
Likewise, you can sign up to get alerts for the news, music, entertainment, sports, shopping and more. For instance, if you would like to get news updates, then simply subscribe to either Fox News or CNN. The alerts are delivered in real-time so subscribers can even enjoy updates of scores from an on-going game.
On his post, Julian Gutman, the Facebook product manager said, "Notifications are becoming one of the primary ways people first learn about things wherever they are. Today we are introducing ‘Notify,' a new app that delivers timely notifications about the things that matter to you, from the sources you love, all in one place."
Using the app is easy. In the locked screen of an iPhone, the user just needs to tap or swipe the alert for the app's browser to open and see the video, article, or Web page. There's no need to log-in to the browser to see the information.
And there's no ad. Facebook said that for now, users can enjoy ad-free Notify experience. However, there's possibility that ads will pop up in the future as the company only said "for now." Then again, although there's no ad, users can probably receive page suggestions that are ad-like.
Incidentally, there are only around 70 sites that you can choose to get notifications from. This is because, at the moment, these are all the content partners that Facebook had secured for the new app.
Some of the sources that are ready for the Notify app include: CNN, ABC, Fox News, Access Hollywood, Discovery, Vogue, Vevo, The Weather Channel, Time, New York Times, Groupon, Market Watch, and more. Most likely popular social networking sources like Linkedn and Twitter would be available soon.
