New Facebook App ‘Paper’ Set To Launch Feb. 3

screen shot via Vimeo/Facebook

Facebook just introduced its new iPhone app called Paper, and people are already excited about it.

Paper, which officially launches on Monday in the App Store, combines aspects of the traditional Facebook app with aspects of a news-reading app. It’s customizable, so people see the news and posts they care about in fun and interactive ways, and it’s completely ad-free.

The idea behind the app is to share high-quality posts. Product manager Michael Reckhow explained to The Verge that there are the “tools that were out there for sharing high-quality stuff and also the tools where you could reach an audience,” but that those options were often mutually exclusive. “We felt you shouldn’t have to choose between one or the other.”

The app uses a set of intuitive motions to navigate, doing away with buttons that would otherwise take up screen space. That way, the app’s interface lends greater focus to what people want to see. Users can pan wide photos by tilting their phones, and news stories appear on individual cards. Users can choose what topics they’re interested in, and they can customize each post they create.

Paper is set to be a big hit when it becomes available next week. But for now, the app will be available only in the United States and only on iPhones.