Facebook unveils Anonymous Login, AppLinks, Mobile Like button, Mobile Ad network at F8 conference

 

Facebook today made a lot of announcements at its F8 developer conference in San Francisco, ranging from improvements to the social network’s login system to a new way to link between apps. Here’s a roundup of all the announcements at F8.

Anonymous Login

While logging in through Facebook in iOS apps is very convenient, it is often quite annoying when you realise that the app has posted to your wall without permission, or that it has gained access to private data that you didn’t want it to have. To address these issues, Facebook has introduced Anonymous Login, an easy way to try an app without giving it all your private information.

More Control when you Login via Facebook

In line with Anonymous Login, Facebook has also improved its login system used to login into apps. You can now control what information you want to share with an app. “For example, if someone wants to share their email address with an app, but not their birthday, they can make that choice with a couple taps.”

AppLinks

While iOS apps are great, it isn’t as easy to share links to specific pages in an app, as it is on the web. Facebook introduced a new initiative called AppLinks to bring app links on par with web links, by creating a cross-platofrm, free, open-source solution. Learn more about AppLinks here.

Mobile Like Button

Following the Like button’s almost universal presence on so many websites, Facebook announced that it is bringing the Like button to native apps. In addition to this, Facebook also introduced a way to prompt users of a service to install their app, and let users share content from a native app via Facebook Messenger:

Mobile Ad Network

Facebook also announced its Mobile Ad Network, dubbed Audience Network at F8. With this ad network, advertisers will be able to display their ads in third-party apps. Expect to soon see banner, interstitial or native Facebook ads in your favorite iOS app:

While many of these announcements are targeted towards developers, they will effect end-users in some way or the other in the coming months.

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