Even though a lot of people spend time on Facebook on their mobile devices, the actual app itself is sometimes not the best thing to use. It can be buggy and heavy and so some choose to use 3rd-party apps that give better performance as well as customization options that you don’t actually find on Facebook. Unfortunately, it looks like the social media giant is cracking down on those so-called “wrappers” as two of the most popular ones have now disappeared from the Google Play Store.
As per Android Police, both Swipe and Simple Social have removed their apps from the Play Store as they are reportedly facing some threats from Facebook if they do not stop pushing this “alternative way” to access the app. Using your power and influence to force a developer into killing an app is something pretty common and in this case, even the developers’ personal social media profiles seem to be affected as well.
Swipe’s developer says that they received a cease and desist order from Facebook and that their personal Facebook and Instagram accounts have been permanently disabled. So he has decided to pull his apps, Swipe for Facebook and Swipe Pro for Facebook although users will still be able to use it although that is indefinite for now. The developer also claims that this has been happening to other developers as well.
Simple Social is another wrapper app that you have to say goodbye to. Those who are using the app would have seen a pop-up notification saying that the app is no longer supported. They also warn users that while they can still use the app, it will have to be “AT YOUR OWN ACCORD” and yes it was in all caps. The issue that it seems to have faced was with CSS modifications that hid sponsored posts and access to Facebook data.
Based on the Terms of Service of Facebook, the apps were in violation of changing the core functionality and materially changing the scope of processing. While the actual Facebook app can be sucky at times, you’ll have to make do with it now if you want to keep using the social media platform.
