Facebook is a product in visible tension with itself. The social graph it built over two decades is genuinely useful for staying connected with people you’d otherwise lose track of, and it still functions as the default events and community platform for huge swaths of the population. Groups in particular can be remarkably good for niche interests.
But the Android app has spent years being one of the heavier installs on any device. It’s aggressive about background activity, drains battery faster than most social apps, and requests permissions that have nothing to do with posting photos. The feed algorithm has drifted hard toward suggested content and reels from strangers, which means your actual friends’ posts require active effort to find. Notifications are maximalist by default.
If you use Facebook mainly for specific groups, events, or Marketplace, the value is real. If you’re looking for a social feed that surfaces people you know, the experience has degraded enough over the last few years that it takes deliberate settings management to resemble what the app used to be.
Verdict: Still the best tool for groups and local events, but the main feed has become so recommendation-heavy that its core promise of staying connected with your network now takes active effort to fulfil.
