If you log on to Facebook today, you may see a new info box at the top of your news feed. Facebook is taking the time to promote the top games in their newly launched App Center.
Facebook’s App Center, their giant hub for apps and games that connect via Facebook, officially launched in the U.S. on June 8th. About a month later, they began the global rollout to English-speaking countries. By the beginning of August, the App Center was available to every user worldwide.
The App Center compiles and categorizes thousands of Facebook-using apps, allowing quick play of web apps and direction to where users can download mobile apps – either iTunes or Google Play. Facebook ranks the apps and decides which ones to show based on user feedback, and recommends apps based on the activities of a user’s friends.
Here’s what you’ll see at the top of your news feed. There’s a direct link to the App Center, as well as links to individual games.
Last month, Facebook touted the early success of the App Center. According to a developers blog post, the App Center is the second largest source of installs on Facebook. In one month, over 150 million peoples used the App Center and it apparently drives 2.4 times more installs that Facebook’s previous apps dashboard.
But Facebook has been accused of using the App Center’s interface to be a little sneakier when it comes to grabbing user data. The new App Center permissions request design isn’t as forthcoming with information about giving up data, according to some. In fact, the App Center is actually under fire in Germany, where consumer groups claim that the way it gathers personal information violates the law.