Facebook is phasing out its ‘Places’ feature in its iPhone and Android apps, as the social network expands it location tool to photos, wall posts and more.
The move will see Facebook Places removed as a standalone feature in the company’s iPhone and Android apps.
When it launched last year, the feature was presented as a potential Foursquare-killer, bringing the idea of mobile check-ins to Facebook’s several hundred million users.
Now it seems location will take a broader role in what people share on the social network. For now, it is unclear what this means for the location-based Facebook Deals service, which was based on Facebook Places.
Adding location to all Facebook activity will also hold a huge appeal to potential advertisers, and users who enable the new location settings can expect more granular results.
“Now you can add location to anything,” explains VP of product Chris Cox in a blog post. “Lots of people use Facebook to talk about where they are, have been or want to go. Now you can add location from anywhere, regardless of what device you are using, or whether it is a status update, photo or Wall post.”
Read the full blog post here.
