Facebook has officially shut down Notify, its real-time, notification-based news app for iOS.
The company sent an alert to users of the app last night, explaining that it would be transitioning parts of the Notify service into its other products and that the app would no longer be supported.
Notify, which went live in November, enabled users to receive news notifications and choose their sources from over 70 publishers, with options for granular alerts about specific sub-topics of interest.
Notifications included short summaries and allowed users to tap through to view the news articles, but the app has clearly failed to capture the attention of Facebook's user base and the wider news-reading public. Facebook told TechCrunch:
Starting on Wednesday, we will begin integrating Notify functionality into other Facebook products, like Messenger, and will be removing Notify from the App Store. Since launching Notify, we've learned a lot about how to make notifications as timely and relevant as possible and we heard from people using the app that Notify helped them stay informed about things they cared about throughout the day.
With more than 900 million people using Messenger each month, we think there is a great opportunity for publishers to reach even more people interested in real-time updates from their favorite sources.
According to mobile app analytics startup SensorTower, Notify only achieved 63,000 downloads in its lifetime. Facebook's other iOS news-related app, the digital magazine-like Paper, appears to remain in the company's future standalone service plans, at least for now.
Top Rated Comments
and 62,995 deletions off the devices
Some would see it as a failure, but I have a feeling they use it as a testing platform before throwing it into the Facebook app to make everyone more confused!
But having an entire app just for the purpose of notifications of other apps? Not only is that absurd, I'm surprised the app was even approved by Apple in the first place.
"<friend you barely know> uploaded a picture of a burger!"
"Check what you've missed whilst you were away [ON PURPOSE]"
"Do you know <Whowho Whateversen?"
...
Stop peskering me, Facebook.
I know I can turn off notifications for you altogether and I'm on the brink of doing just that, but then I also don't get notifications for messages.
Cause some friends insist on messaging me on FB, even though they know I despise using chat on FB, maybe save for the folks I only know on FB and nowhere else...
I'm this close to just uninstalling the apps and turning off notifications on OS X.
FB better be glad that I'm with them at all, instead they keep being pushy asshats.
Glassed Silver:mac