Facebook testing new browser

Social networking website Facebook is testing an improved in-app browser that would allow users input their own URL should they want to check another page without leaving the Facebook app, a media report said.

A man poses with a magnifier in front of a Facebook logo on display in this illustration taken in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Reuters)

Social networking website Facebook is testing an improved in-app browser that would allow users input their own URL should they want to check another page without leaving the Facebook app, a media report said.

Besides the aesthetic shift, a new bar on the bottom tells you how popular a post is, includes back and forward buttons, lets you bookmark pages, and has a menu button which likely includes a few more features too, thenextweb.com reported on Sunday.

The only big feature that appears to be missing is tab support, but the new browser is quite close to approximating a full-fledged app.

With a good enough browser, the Facebook app could essentially become a self-contained ecosystem of its own, it added.

The browser is only available to a small subset of users (iOS only), but most public test features end up receiving a wider roll-out a few months later.