Facebook is testing a new standalone app for breaking news

As we thought, the decision to have websites host their articles directly on Facebook was just the beginning of Facebook’s plan to become the world’s top news source. Apparently the company is expanding on this with a new standalone app that will offer breaking news to users in a very Twitter-like way. We don’t have anything official to go on at the moment but the app is supposed to be in alpha testing. 

Facebook wants to become more prominent in the news world. The social network is currently working on a new standalone app that will feature breaking news from certain publications, according to a report from Business Insider. Facebook is said to be partnering with publications that users can subscribe to in order to receive breaking news notifications. Only a handful of publications have signed on with Facebook to help launch the app, according to sources familiar with the project. The app—which allegedly is still in alpha testing—would work very similar to Twitter. Publications will be able blast 100 character-long mobile notifications to all people using the app. Users can then click on the link and be redirected to the full article. Facebook has yet to confirm or deny Business Insider’s report. However, they’re not commenting on the matter. “We don’t comment on rumors or speculation,” a Facebook spokesperson told the Daily News.