Facebook has responded to user reports about speed issues caused by its Android app. The company said it is investigating the issue.
In a statement to Gadgets 360, a Facebook spokesperson said, “We have heard reports of some people experiencing speed issues stemming from our Android app. We are looking into this and will keep you posted. We are committed to continuing to improve these issues.”
The company did not acknowledge the battery drain issues that were reported alongside by users, or that the Messenger app was also affected.
The hugely-successful Facebook and Messenger apps were hit with controversy this week after a number of reports showed they drained battery life and slowed phones. The apps were reportedly slowing Android smartphones by as much as 15 percent, and consuming excess battery power.
(Also see: Facebook’s Contingency Plans Tipped for When Things Go South With Google)
Users discussed the impact of the Facebook and Messenger apps on Reddit, with one user publishing a chart to show the drain caused by them. During the user tests that involved launching 15 popular apps in succession, it was found that each app loaded significantly faster when Facebook was not installed on the same smartphone.
“So yeah, I think that settles it for me… I am joining the browser-app camp for now,” a Reddit user posted.
“Messenger seems to be worse than FB. Both apps individually caused a slow-down of roughly five percent in the test,” the user claimed.
Another user said that, “I think it had just become so bloated with features, things they kept adding to the main site that people wanted in the mobile apps also,” adding, “Combine this with Android’s tendency to let apps run wild in the background.”
Last year, some iPhone users reported a similar problem saying the app began draining almost 40 percent of the battery, associated with constant location tracking that was reportedly turned on by default. The company soon after rolled out a fix for the issue.
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