After months of rumors, Facebook has finally launched Notify, its own standalone news app. Similar to Twitter, but with a heavier focus on breaking news, Notify sends notifications (hence the name) to users whenever there’s news on a topic or from a source that they like. This is done through Notify’s partners, which include CNN, Fox News, the New York Times, and several others. Unfortunately, the app is exclusive to iOS for the time being, but there’s most likely going to be an Android version released in the near future. 

Notifications are becoming one of the primary ways people first learn about things wherever they are. Today we are introducing Notify, a new app from Facebook that delivers timely notifications about the things that matter to you, from the sources you love, all in one place. Everyone has different interests, so whether you’re into sports, celebrities, news, movies, music or shopping, Notify makes it easy to find notifications you’re into with a broad selection of great “stations” across a variety of categories. To create your personal mix of notifications you select the stations from which you want to receive updates. Sources like the ones above will publish notifications through these stations when there are relevant updates. Notify also provides station suggestions based on your Facebook profile, and it’s easy to discover and add new stations any time. You’ll receive notifications, delivered right to your lock screen, and a quick glance will keep you connected to the things that you care about throughout the day. If you want to see more, just swipe or tap through any Notify notification to open the link in the app’s browser where you can read the full article, watch the video, or view the site.