After teasing a return to “OG Facebook” earlier this year, the social network on Thursday announced an update that will give users a simple way to connect with friends. The company is introducing a new Facebook Friends tab that will only showcase updates from friends, without any other recommended content. Meta explains in a blog post that the idea is to bring back features focused on Facebook’s original mission of connecting people with friends through a social networking experience.
The tab, which is initially available only in the U.S. and Canada, will feature friends’ content, including their posts, Reels, stories, birthdays, and friend requests.
Previously, the tab had only provided a place to view your friend requests and other “People You May Know.”
The company in October launched a Gen Z-focused redesign of its flagship social network, hoping to attract a younger crowd that has largely abandoned or ignored Facebook in favor of other social apps, like Meta’s Instagram or TikTok. Those earlier changes focused on connecting users to community information, Facebook Groups, and video.
However, in January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the company’s Q4 earnings call that a “return to OG Facebook” was part of his key goals for 2025.
“I think there are a lot of opportunities to make [Facebook] way more culturally influential than it is today,” he told investors, adding, “I think some of this will kind of get back to how Facebook was originally used back in the day.”
The CEO didn’t say at the time what sort of changes would be in store, but the Friends tab update is the first of many that will roll out this year.
In a blog post, the company admitted that the social network needed to return to its roots.
“Over the years, Facebook evolved to meet changing needs and created best-in-class experiences across Groups, Video, Marketplace and more, but the magic of friends has fallen away,” the post states.
The new Friends tab is available through the navigation bar on Facebook’s Home Feed and will be accessible through the Bookmarks section of the app, the company says.
Users can also opt to pin their Friends tab to their Home Feed to make it even more convenient. (To do so, click “Setting & Privacy” –> “Settings” –> “Tab bar.” You then can choose to customize your tab bar and can pin the new tab there.)
