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Lauren Hurley/PA Wire

If Facebook's app is irritating you, there is a way to improve things

And it only takes a moment or two to complete.

CONSIDERING HOW POPULAR it is, it’s probably no surprise that complaints about Facebook’s official apps tend to occur every so often.

Accusations of draining battery life and data plans being used up thanks to the introduction of certain features like autoplay videos have been thrown at the app for a while now.

For most people, the app should be fine, but if you find it’s causing you trouble, the best thing to do is get rid of the app and get the mobile web version instead.

The first step is to get rid of the app itself by uninstalling it. Once that’s done, you want to load up the mobile site. Choose your browser you use regularly – for this we’re using Chrome for Android and Safari for iOS – and sign into Facebook.

Once that’s done, you want to save the page to your home screen. On Android, tap the options button in the right-hand corner and scroll down until you see “Add to Home Screen”. Select that and name your icon.

Facebook home screen

On iOS, go into your browser and hit the share button at the bottom of the screen. Name your icon and it will appear on your home screen.

Add to home screen

You are sacrificing some convenience though as you won’t be able to receive push notifications – the exception would be messages on Android – so you’ll have to check if you want to see updates by keeping the app or set up email notifications.

The benefits are worth it though. For one, you won’t have the same battery drain as the app itself as it won’t run in the background and the functionality is mostly the same.

Even better, the mobile version also includes messaging so you don’t have to install Messenger either.

Read: Facebook built a basketball game directly into Messenger – here’s how to play >

Read: Browser tabs getting out of control? A simple right-click can really help >

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16 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colette
    Favourite Colette
    Report
    Feb 19th 2012, 4:53 PM

    Poor fella…for a night out to end this way is tragic!!!

    48
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute alan ray
    Favourite alan ray
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    Feb 19th 2012, 11:17 PM

    And the judge will say i will suspend the sentence,now go home and relax for yourself

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute peter
    Favourite peter
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    Feb 19th 2012, 6:40 PM

    Stronger sentences need to be handed for drink fueled assaults. It should be a mandatory ten years for this kind of offence, not the piddling couple of years that are handed out by a judiciary that is completely out of touch with reality.

    45
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Hanly Sheelagh
    Favourite Hanly Sheelagh
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    Feb 19th 2012, 10:12 PM

    This is something that needs to be dealt with urgently. We only hear about the deaths and seriously injured but there are numerous incidents of injury every weekend that don’t feature in the media. Young people who go out for a night ending up in A + E with stitches and broken bones etc from drink and drug-filled little pups who seem to have no idea how to behave in normal society.

    23
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Mc grath
    Favourite Paul Mc grath
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    Feb 20th 2012, 7:21 AM

    It ain’t the first time it happened in thurles….

    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute olive tierney
    Favourite olive tierney
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    Feb 20th 2012, 12:53 AM

    I hope this man makes a good recovery, very sad!

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Neil Richardson
    Favourite Neil Richardson
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    Feb 20th 2012, 11:55 PM

    Unfortunately he has since passed away.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Philip Bellew
    Favourite Philip Bellew
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    Feb 20th 2012, 12:19 AM

    Gardai have ‘appealed’.

    3
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