Facebook test merges news feed and Stories, so you swipe not scroll

That would definitely be a change.

Shelby Brown Editor II

Shelby Brown (she/her/hers) is an editor for CNET's services team. She covers tips and tricks for apps, operating systems and devices, as well as mobile gaming and Apple Arcade news. Shelby also oversees Tech Tips coverage. Before joining CNET, she covered app news for Download.com and served as a freelancer for Louisville.com.

Credentials

She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.

See full bio

Shelby Brown

April 15, 2019 10:35 a.m. PT

It took awhile for Facebook users to warm up to Stories, but the social network seems to be ready to take them to a new level, testing a combination of its news feed and Stories features.

Researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who is well known for reverse-engineering social media apps, spotted the test and tweeted about it Monday. Aside from the hybrid feed itself, the most dramatic change would be swiping left and right, instead of scrolling up and down.

Facebook wasn't immediately available for comment.

Facebook is testing to turn News Feed into Story Feed pic.twitter.com/83H7VWcgmD
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 15, 2019

"This integrates Posts and Stories into one, allowing users to consume both within the same reel of content," Wong tweeted.

Judging from the animated gif that Wong posted, it looks like the content itself would remain essentially the same: a few posts from friends, sponsored content and then a Story.

Here's an example of how Stories are shown together with regular Posts
The left side is a regular photo post of my friend changing profile picture. The right side is my friend's Story. And both of these are shown within the same UI pic.twitter.com/Fi2Mfqg2rX
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 15, 2019

Wong noted that, for now, the timer in the interface won't pause if you're reading a long post, so you'd have to finish your friend's lengthy Facebook rant in about six seconds.

The timer in this UI won't pause while reading a long post, so I have to finish it within six seconds
Hope this is a bug not a feature :P
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 15, 2019

The way Facebook currently is laid out on its mobile app, Stories live between your status update box and your news feed.

Mobile Guides

Phones

Foldable Phones

Headphones

Mobile Accessories

Smartwatches

Wireless Plans