Facebook launches Facebook for Every Phone app

Facebook today launched the new Facebook for Every Phone app, which offers a "fast and comprehensive Facebook experience" on over 2,500 different feature phones (sometimes referred to as dumb phones). You can download it now by visiting m.facebook.com and scrolling down to the download link, or by entering d.facebook.com/install directly into your mobile browser. Alternatively, you can get it from leading app stores, including GetJar, Appia, and Mobile Weaver.

The feature phone app includes what Facebook says are the social networks' most popular features: News Feed, Inbox, and Photos. Furthermore, it also enables you to upload photos and find friends from your phone's contacts. The goal is to give Facebook users in the developing world, who may not have a smartphone, access to a Facebook app as well.

Although the Facebook for Every Phone app is free, and Facebook says it is optimized to use less data than other Java apps or mobile sites, users still need to pay for data. To push users to try and use it, Facebook has collaborated with 20 carriers worldwide to offer free data access to the app for 90 days.

The following carriers will be offering free data access for a limited time: Aircel (India), Airtel (India), Banglalink (Bangladesh), Beeline (Russia), Celcom (Malaysia), Etisalat (Egypt, Nigeria), Globe (Philippines), Idea (India), Indosat (Indonesia), O2 Telefonica (Germany), Reliance (India), Smart (Philippines), Smartfren (Indonesia), Telkomsel (Indonesia), Three (Indonesia, United Kingdom), TIM (Brazil), TMN (Portugal), Ufone (Pakistan), Vodafone (Turkey), and XL (Indonesia).

"The Facebook for Every Phone app will be available globally on Java-enabled phones starting today, and we are working on making the app compatible with even more handsets in the future," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. "With one easy download of this app, get all of what Facebook has to offer on your mobile device so you can stay connected with your family and friends wherever you are."

This app comes from feature phone app maker Snaptu, an Israeli startup that makes Java-based feature phone apps. Four months ago, Facebook acquired Snaptu for an estimated $70 million.

Earlier this year, Facebook worked with the mobile development firm to build the Facebook for Feature Phones app, and make it work on more than 2,500 devices. That's right: Facebook today updated the app with a few more features, changed "Feature" to "Every" in the name, and promised to support more phones in the future.