Facebook news reader 'Paper' may flip off Flipboard later this month

Flipboard
Faceboard? Flipbook?

Imagine rolling over in bed each morning, awakening your phone and turning to a Facebook product to get caught up on the day's happenings. Sounds like something most of us do anyway, right?

In the very near future - as soon as the end of the month, actually - Facebook's long-rumored news reader may finally become part of our information consumption routine.

According to sources speaking with Re/code, Facebook's news reading service is known as "Paper." It takes cues from Flipboard, and will either be a standalone app for mobile or a web experience designed to fit smaller screens.

Like Flipboard, Paper sounds to be an aggregator for content including news stories from the likes of the New York Times and Washington Post as well as status updates from other Facebookers.

It will all be arranged in a eye-popping "paper-like" format, one hard-copy news readers cling to fondly.

Facebook Paper-less post

Paper's launch timeline may change, according to one source, so there's no guarantee we'll be turning to Facebook for all our newsy needs (beyond baby bump updates) come February 1.

The first inklings of a Facebook reader first popped up in June 2013, but apparently the project has been years in the making and started as many other FB products have - piece of a News Feed overhaul.

We saw some of the new News Feed redesign come to life in March 2013, but the other parts left unfinished have apparently found their way to Paper.

If and when Paper makes its way off the virtual presses, users won't be the only ones to benefit from the rich reading experience; engagement and user eyeballs so valuable to advertisers are certainly a driver for Facebook to finish the project.

Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.

Latest in Facebook
 Facebook social media app logo on log-in, sign-up registration page
How to delete all your Facebook posts
The Meta logo on a smartphone in front of the Facebook logo a little bit blurred in the background
Meta's new 'Link History' feature for the Facebook app isn't as protective of your data as it claims
The Meta Quest 3 in action
How much more data can Meta collect? Probably a lot, thanks to the Meta Quest 3 and Ray-Ban smart glasses
A laptop screen showing a Facebook Groups page
Scam alert: how to spot hoax posts in your Facebook Groups
Facebook
Facebook Messenger is losing a useful messaging feature soon
mother watching her daughter's activity online
Meta's new Facebook parental controls show social media still doesn't like responsibility
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con up-close from app store
Nintendo's new app gave us another look at the Switch 2, and there's something different with the Joy-Con
cheap Nintendo Switch game deals sales
Nintendo didn't anticipate that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was 'going to be the juggernaut' for the Nintendo Switch when it was ported to the console, according to former employees
Three angles of the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 laptop above a desk
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review roundup – should you buy Apple's new lightweight laptop?
Witchbrook
Witchbrook, the life-sim I've been waiting years for, finally has a release window and it's sooner than you think
Amazon Echo Smart Speaker
Amazon is experimenting with renaming Echo speakers to Alexa speakers, and it's about time
Shigeru Miyamoto presents Nintendo Today app
Nintendo Today smartphone app is out now on iOS and Android devices – and here's what it does