Facebook 101

Facebook news

We've collected the most recent and important updates to Facebook below. Whenever you hear about a recent or upcoming change, you'll find more information about it here.

Keep in mind that Facebook tends to roll out changes slowly, so you won't always see these updates right away. It's also important to note that most new features are introduced on the desktop version before they're added to the mobile versions of Facebook.

August 2014

• Messenger changes: If you use Facebook on a mobile device, you'll now use a separate Messenger app to send private messages to friends. For more information, read Facebook Messenger Privacy Fears? Here's What to Know.

May 2014

• Updated default audience selector: In the past, when you joined Facebook, the audience selector would be set to Public by default. If you did not change this setting, anyone with a Facebook account would be able to see your posts. Now, the audience selector is set to Friends by default, which means that only people you've added as friends on Facebook can see what you share.
• Updated apps settings: For some websites that use the Facebook Platform, you'll now have the option to sign in using your Facebook account anonymously. This means that these sites won't be able to access information from your Facebook account, such as your age, gender, and interests. Facebook has also updated the Apps settings page to make it easier to manage your connected accounts.
• Other changes: Facebook has made a few other minor updates to make it easier for users to control who they share with. For more information, visit Facebook's article Making It Easier to Share With Who You Want.

March 2014

• Updated News Feed: This update increases the size of posts and stories on the desktop version of the News Feed, but it doesn't change much about way the News Feed works. It also increases the size of advertisements to the right of the News Feed.
  

January 2014

• Trending Stories: This feature shows you what other people are posting about on Facebook. You'll see Trending Stories in the top-right corner of your News Feed. Just click a story to see more posts about it.

August 2013

• Graph Search: This powerful features lets you search for information your friends have already shared using simple phrases. For example, you could search for Friends who like pizza or Photos of my friends in San Francisco. Graph Search also makes it easier for others to find what you've shared on Facebook, such as likes, comments, and photos. You can visit Facebook's page on Graph Search Privacy to learn more.
  
• Timeline search option removed: Facebook no longer gives you the option to choose who can and can't look up your Timeline by name. This means anyone on Facebook can search for your name and find your Timeline (also known as your profile page). What they can see on your Timeline will depend on your privacy settings.

Frequently asked questions

To help you better understand these new features, we'll try to answer some questions you may have at this time.

I still have the old News Feed layout. When will the update be available?

Facebook is currently rolling out this update to all desktop users. However, it may still be several weeks before you see the new layout in your News Feed.

I don't see Trending Stories on my News Feed. When will the update be available?

Facebook is currently rolling out this update to all desktop users. However, it may still be several weeks before you see Trending Stories in your News Feed.

Does Graph Search mean I should change my privacy settings?

If you've ever shared anything publicly on Facebook, it will be visible to anyone who uses Graph Search—even people you don't know. If you're not interested in appearing in public Graph Search results, we recommend setting all of your information to be visible only to your Facebook friends. You can review our lesson on Adjusting Your Privacy Settings to learn how.