Facebook App Center Launches for Desktop, iOS and Android

Facebook opened the doors to its App Center on 8 June, letting developers create games and applications for the social network's 900 million members on the web, as well as Android and iOS.

While games such as Farmville and Words With Friends were already available to play on Facebook, the launch of the App Center gives developers a central place to list their games, and users of the site a comprehensive catalogue of Facebook apps to browse through.

"The App Center helps high-quality apps grow by promoting those that people enjoy the most. It includes all types of social apps, including those built for Facebook.com, iOS, Android and the web. People can find apps through their friends, browse by category, or get personalized recommendations," Bruce Rogers of Facebook said.

Although Facebook only states that App Center is rolling out in the US for now, we were able to browse the store and send Instagram to our Android smartphone from the desktop with one click of the "Send to Mobile" button. A Facebook spokesperson has since confirmed to IBTimes UK that App Center "is available to all users".

Applications are rated by their popularity with users, quantified by user ratings out of five stars and engagement with the app. These metrics will go towards deciding if an application is listed in the App Center or not.

Facebook explains: "Well-designed apps that people enjoy will be prominently displayed. Apps that receive poor user ratings or don't meet the quality guidelines won't be listed."

Guidelines set out by Facebook include having an easy-to-use interface with no significant bugs, to show clear distinction between ads and content, have a low negative feedback rating and apps must not mimic the Facebook user interface "in a way that's misleading or unintuitive."

A full set of guidelines can be found on the Facebook developers' blog.

For iOS and Android devices, developers can send a user from the Facebook App Center to the Apple App Store or Google Play where apps can be downloaded to their mobile device. However, only iOS and Android apps which use a Facebook login will be considered for the App Center.

Once an app has been made, developers are encouraged to create an app detail page, which is required for being listed in the App Centre. The detail page shows images from the app, gives a brief description of what the app does and displays a star rating out of five.

Finally, Facebook is launching a beta programme for paid applications directly in App Center, rather than through Apple's App Store or Google Play, stating: "Many developers have been successful with in-app purchases, but to support more types of apps on Facebook.com, we will give developers the option to offer paid apps. This is a simple-to-implement payment feature that lets people pay a flat fee to use an app on Facebook.com."

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