The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2013
The 'Facebook Phone' lasted 39 days — and became a $99 clearance item
The HTC First, launched in April 2013 with Facebook Home as its OS, was pulled from AT&T after 39 days. The price dropped from $99 to $0.99.
Facebook · HTC · 2013-04
What happened
In April 2013, Facebook launched 'Facebook Home,' a software layer that replaced the Android home screen with a Facebook-centric interface, and the HTC First, a phone designed around it. The device was marketed as the 'Facebook Phone' — a phone where Facebook was the operating experience, not an app.
The phone was a disaster. Users found Facebook Home intrusive: it replaced the home screen with a feed of friends' updates, made it difficult to access standard Android functions, and consumed battery life. Reviews were scathing. AT&T stopped selling the phone after just 39 days, and the price was slashed from $99 to $0.99.
Facebook discontinued Facebook Home within a year. The case illustrated the danger of a platform company trying to become a hardware company without understanding that users want their phone to be theirs, not a billboard for someone else's social network. The 'Facebook Phone' was a solution to a problem no one had: 'How do I make my phone more like Facebook?'
Why it happened
- Facebook Home replaced the Android home screen with a Facebook feed, making the phone feel like a Facebook billboard.
- Users found the interface intrusive, battery-draining and difficult to navigate for standard functions.
- AT&T pulled the phone after 39 days; the price dropped from $99 to $0.99.
- Facebook discontinued Facebook Home within a year.
The lesson
Users want their phone to be theirs, not a billboard for someone else's platform. A platform that tries to become the OS becomes the obstacle.
Aftermath
Facebook Home was discontinued in 2014. Facebook refocused on its apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) rather than trying to own the hardware layer. The HTC First is remembered as one of the shortest-lived phone launches in history.
Sources
- HTC First — Wikipedia (Facebook Home, launch, discontinuation)
- AT&T has sold all of its HTC First Facebook phones — The Verge
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