Recently, Facebook’s apps have received a lot of negative attention in the media because some of them spy on the user unnecessarily, and also share quite a bit of information with friends and acquaintances. Sure, there are apps that aren’t completely clean, but you shouldn’t let that scare you from installing any apps at all. It is simply a matter of choosing carefully, and carefully reading through the conditions that apply to each app.
If, after all, you feel a little unsure about which apps you dare to install, here we give you 25 tips on tools and games that are completely harmless. However, you can count on them sharing some information sometimes, it is part of the Facebook concept. The range includes everything from protection against phishing attacks to video apps and newsreaders.
Most are pure Facebook apps, while others are intended for mobile but have some sort of connection to Facebook.
The basic version of all apps is free to use, but in some cases it is possible to pay for more advanced functions. l
1. Viddy
Like an Instagram for video, the Viddy mobile app lets you upload 15-second videos and add cinematic effects of various kinds. Your clips can then be shared on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Since Viddy’s app for Facebook’s timeline was launched, usage has skyrocketed. It now has more than four million users and on average adds another 100,000 every day.
2. Socialcam
One of Viddy’s main competitors is called Socialcam. It is an iPhone app that works together with Facebook, and the app currently has over 10,000 million users. Recently several updates were released. The video clips now play directly when the user hovers over them, and they also appear directly in the app’s main feed instead of in a separate window.
3. Magisto
Magisto is another video app for iPhone. However, it is not quite as well known. The app analyzes a video and selects the best scenes, stabilizes your footage, removes noise and adds effects, transitions and music. When Magisto has finished working, you can tag friends and send the clip to Facebook, Twitter or Youtube, alternatively via email.
4. Wix
With the help of Wix, by taking advantage of the included templates, graphics, menus and animations, you can make your hobby or business Facebook page look really professional.
6. Rss Graffiti
Want to automatically share content from your blog to your Facebook profile, a group or a fan page? Rss Graffiti is an extremely popular app for publishing rss/atom feeds to your pages. Version 2.0 was released very recently, and the app is now used by 1.5 million people every month.
7. Woobox
A Facebook page for a company or organization can never have too many likes and visitors. Woobox allows you to create campaigns that encourage sharing of your page, and also expose a brand using coupons, polls, group offers and more.
8. Pinterest
Pinterest is a real highlight for those of you who just want to enjoy all the eye candy, but if you have a business that sells products that look good in pictures, it can also be smart to take advantage of Pinterest’s popularity. The site, which can be integrated with Facebook, is adapted for shopping and has a tab that allows the user to sort products by price.
9. Aviary
There are many apps that quickly turn your boring photographs into real masterpieces. Aviary is an example. Its Facebook app gives you access to editing tools, photo effects and graphics. The user can edit photos found in existing albums or upload new photos, and the app automatically saves the updated photos in a separate album.
10. Capture
Have you been on a group trip or attended an event and felt the need to collect all the participants’ photos afterwards? If so, it might be worth checking out Kaptur. The app uses Facebook’s album titles, captions and tags to create photo collections from specific events. When you click on images, Kaptur uses an algorithm and searches for similar images.
11. Stumble Upon
For years, people have used Stumble Upon to discover exciting new sites. Recently, the service launched an app to integrate with Facebook’s timeline, which means that as soon as you like a page, follow a new channel or use Stumbler, your friends will be notified.
12. Dailymotion
Dailymotion is sometimes referred to as the Youtube of Europe and has more than 114 million unique visitors a month who watch more than 1.2 billion video clips. According to Facebook’s development blog, more than nine million people have added the social video site’s app to their timelines since January of this year.
13. Pixable
Are you saddened by bland status updates from friends who have too much time on their hands? Then use the app Pixable to display a news feed with only images. You can sort the images using various filters so that only images of women or men, recently uploaded images or cover images are displayed.
14. Sound call
Soundrop makes Spotify even better by giving you the opportunity to discover new music with your friends. You can create a social listening room, search for other rooms, find rooms where your friends hang out, and even edit and bookmark rooms.
15. Branch Out
Not too long ago, Facebook was primarily for socializing with friends, but that’s not the case anymore. With the help of Branch Out, one of Linkedin’s biggest competitors, you can also build a business network on the site. The app automatically connects you with your existing contacts on Facebook and shows your friends’ profile information including jobs they’ve had.
16. Be Known
Be Known is a career app that builds your profile based on the information you’ve entered on Facebook. If you haven’t entered that much information, you can enter it directly. The app comes from Monster – if you have a profile in the Monster network, it’s fine to import it. Be Known only adds the contacts you approve and who have approved you.
17. Facebook Messenger
You might be wondering why you need a separate messaging app in addition to the regular Facebook app for your smartphone? The answer is that it is much smoother and faster to use. All your messages sent with the app are logged on Facebook. You can also use it to send photos. The app is available for both Android and iPhone.
18. The Washington Post Social Reader
The news tool The Washington Post Social Reader is better than most of the competitors, not least if you look at the journalistic level. It has a nice interface and you can also adjust its privacy settings.
19. Privacy score
There is a lot of talk about apps sharing too much information. If you don’t feel completely sure which apps you should avoid, you can use the brand new Privacyscore tool. Enter the name of an app you use and its security score will be displayed.
20. Secure.me
Even the most careful Facebook user can accidentally share a little too much information that can damage their own reputation. Secure.me notifies you if you are in the danger zone. Among other things, the app warns of Facebook posts in your timeline that come from third-party apps.
21. Profile Protector
You might think you’re safe from the phishing attacks that ravage Facebook, but it’s still easy to click the wrong button and slip in anyway. Profile Protector is the app that alerts you to suspicious activities going on in your account.
22. Draw Something
Basically, Draw Something is nothing more than a copy of Pictionary, that is, the game where you draw something while your fellow players have to guess what it is. Draw Something is available as an app for both Android and iPhone and has recently been updated with features that allow you to transfer images and comments to Facebook, among other things.
23. Candy Crush Saga
Candy Crush Saga is one of the most popular games right now. Given the looks, it might feel like it’s aimed at a five-year-old, but give it a try and you’ll be hooked. Match similar candies to collect points.
24. Lucky Gem Casino
Do you love playing one-armed bandits? If so, Lucky Gem Casino is the game for you. In addition to collecting points, you can get free moves and bonuses, and you can also chat with other players. Lucky Gem Casino has a million players a day.
25. Marvel: Avengers Alliance
Recently, the film The Avengers had its premiere in the United States and it has of course given a boost to the game Marvel: Avengers Alliance. Choose one of two agents and take down the enemy with guns and bombs.
How to install and uninstall apps
Three clicks are all it takes to install an app. You click on Applications and games during Applications in the left column. Click on an app and select Allow or Go to the application/game in the window that appears. You can also search for apps using the regular search box at the top. If you want to install the apps we recommend, enter the name.
Uninstalling apps is slightly more complicated, but still not difficult. Click the down arrow at the top right, select Privacy settings and press Edit settings next to Ads, Applications and Websites. Next to Applications that you use you click on Edit settings. Now all installed apps are displayed, and by clicking on the cross on the right, you choose which ones to remove.