Option previously limited to Facebook's native titles

Facebook is opening up part of its API to allow mobile apps to take advantage of the Like button. In a post on the company's Developer Blog, Facebook lays out possibilities engendered by letting developers build the famous option directly into their mobile and web apps. The new functionality is built into the Open Graph system, which allows apps to tie activities directly into users' Timelines. Facebook hopes that developers will use the feature to tie their apps closer to the social network, as seen in Instagram and foursquare, which have already implemented Like.

When a person Likes a friend's story or photo using an app, that Like is shown in the News Feed, and tagged with the app's name. Apps that have similar features -- but don't utilize the new Like button -- will have 90 days to switch over to the new system.

The mobile sector is an area of great importance to Facebook. As more and more of its users access the site through mobile devices, Facebook has had to put a greater focus on pulling revenue from that market. To that end, Facebook recently announced an App Center aimed at making the social network the center of the mobile app world.

by MacNN Staff