Facebook is arguably the most downloaded app in smartphones and other devices. With over one billion active monthly users, the social networking site has established a following, which would like to readily access the platform anytime and anywhere, filling their timelines in with close to real-time updates. Facebook is also known for constantly adding new features to the platform, and these may have affected Facebook app's performance.
Recent reports have stated that Facebook is on top of the list of battery draining apps in smartphones. Especially among iPhone users, the app has been found to shorten battery life fast. Facebook has released a blog post on Oct. 23, Friday, zeroing in on two factors, which have caused the platform to consume more battery than necessary. The company also said that it has already solved the app's problem.
Facebook Inc.'s Ari Grant said that the iOS version of the Facebook app is prone to what he termed 'CPU spin.' Grant likened CPU spin to a child on board a car repeatedly asking if he and his family have arrived at the destination yet. The engineering manager pointed out that this does not help in reaching the destination.
Grant also said that another culprit to the battery-draining problem lies on the videos. Even with the app closed, after the user watched a video, the audio session stays open at times. "The app isn't actually doing anything while awake in the background, but it does use more battery simply by being awake. Our fixes will solve this audio issue and remove background audio completely."
Grant said that Facebook has already issued an updated version of Facebook for iOS. The update has been released on Friday. Grant apologized for any inconvenience the app has caused. "We are committed to continuing to improve the battery usage of our app and you should see improvements in the version released today," Grant said.
