Facebook feature phone app for emerging markets hits 100m users

Facebook recently marketed itself as a powerful way for brands to reach consumers when people are on the move during summer, as usage via mobile is up 22 per cent in the UK and 18 per cent in the US.
And now, the company reiterates its ubiquity as it secures more than 100 million users of its Facebook For Every Phone app, which is used in emerging markets like India and the Philippines.
The app runs on more than 3,000 feature phones that can cost as little as $20, and contains information found on the smartphone app like News Feed, messages and photos.
Facebook boasts that the app is designed to use less data than other Java apps and sites to make it more affordable.
Ran Makavy, growth manager, Facebook, said: "Facebook For Every Phone is powered by technology created by Snaptu, an Israel-based mobile platform that I co-founded in 2007. We joined the Facebook Growth Team in California as part of an acquisition in 2011.
"Our small team relaunched Snaptu as Facebook For Every Phone in July of that same year, and grew the user base to where it is today. Snaptu's platform uses the power of servers to accelerate and optimise the way mobile apps work, and is the key to providing a great user experience on low-end devices."
Location-based social network Foursquare recently looked to acquire customers in developing countries by launching for Nokia feature phones.

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