Facebook’s Android apps are rarely the best way to use Facebook on smartphones. That’s why various third-party apps just generally improving the experience. But Facebook is now cracking down on a few of these clients, Swipe and Simple Social, forcing them to disappear from the Play Store.
According to messages from the developers of both apps, Facebook is siccing its lawyers on multiple apps that offer an alternative way to access the network, beyond the official apps and the mobile site. The developer of Swipe for Facebook posted this message to the app’s subreddit:
Saying goodbye to Swipe for Facebook from r/swipeforfacebook
“Today, I have received a cease and desist letter from some attorneys representing Facebook Inc. My social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram have also been permanently disabled (unfortunately locking me out of tons of memories over the years and contact with many distant relatives). I believe this has happened to numerous other devs as well meaning the day of Facebook wrapper apps have finally come to an end,” wrote the developer of Swipe.
Forcing a developer to kill an app that’s been popular for years is already pretty heavy-handed, but nuking said developer’s personal social media profiles as well shows that Facebook isn’t pulling any punches. Its aim appears to be shutting down all third-party tools for accessing the site.
The developer of Simple Social, another popular Facebook “wrapper” app, had an even more alarming message for users. It was delivered via a pop-up notification for those still using the app after it was removed from the Play Store.
“Due to changes created by Facebook, Simple Social is no longer supported. You can continue to use Simple Social, however YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN ACCORD. Your Facebook account may possibly be disabled temporarily or permanently, which is not under the control of Creative Trends. Sorry for any inconveniences this may cause. Thank you for all your support over the last 5 years. Have a great day.“
The apps are functional if you have them installed, though there’s no guarantee on how long they will stay functional. With the developers withdrawing support and having their personal accounts suspended in some cases, there’s no guarantee of how long these apps will work and if it shall stay safe for your account to be accessed from a third-party app.
Forsided, 21.04.2021
Source: Android Police