Throwback Vibes: Facebook's Fresh Take on the Friends Tab!
Facebook has debuted a revamped Friends tab, with a return to the 'OG' Facebook.
Earlier this year, Facebook teased a return to "OG Facebook," and on Thursday, the social network giant announced an update that will give users a simple way to connect with friends. The company is introducing a new Facebook Friends tab that will only showcase updates from friends, without any other recommended content. Meta further explained in a blog post that the idea is to bring back features focused on Facebook’s original mission of connecting people with friends through a social networking experience.
A Personal Touch
The new tab is currently available only in the U.S. and Canada and will feature friends’ content, including their posts, Reels, stories, birthdays, and friend requests. Previously, the tab had only provided a place to view your friend requests and other “People You May Know.”
Recall that the company launched a Gen Z-focused redesign of its flagship social network in October, hoping to attract a younger crowd that has largely abandoned or ignored Facebook in favor of other social apps, like Meta’s Instagram or TikTok. Those earlier changes focused on connecting users to community information, Facebook Groups, and video. However, in January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the company’s Q4 earnings call that a “return to OG Facebook” was part of his key goals for 2025.
“I think there are a lot of opportunities to make [Facebook] way more culturally influential than it is today,” he told investors, adding, “I think some of this will kind of get back to how Facebook was originally used back in the day.”
Return to Roots
In one of its blog posts, Meta admitted that the social network needed to return to its roots.
“Over the years, Facebook evolved to meet changing needs and created best-in-class experiences across Groups, Video, Marketplace and more, but the magic of friends has fallen away,” the post states.
You'll find the new Friends tab on the navigation bar on Facebook’s Home Feed. It will be accessible through the Bookmarks section of the app, the company confirmed. Users can also choose to pin their Friends tab to their Home Feed so that it's more convenient.
