Google strips Facebook contact sync from Android Nexus S

With the release of its Android 2.3.3 update for the Nexus S smartphone, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is restricting the official Facebook application from integrating directly with the device's Contacts app. In a nutshell, the Facebook for Android app functionality that merges the social network's stored contact information with the Nexus S's own contacts feature is no longer operational; Android users will still be able to access the Facebook directory through the app, but the information will no longer appear in their list of contacts. According to Google, the move brings Facebook in line with other companies offering services on the Android platform--generally speaking, social media applications and the like must leverage the Android Contacts API, but Facebook was granted an exception that allowed its contact data to remain in the cloud.

"We believe it is very important that users are able to control their data," Google said in a statement. "So in the over-the-air update for Nexus S, we have a small change to how Facebook contacts appear on the device. For Nexus S users who downloaded the Facebook app from Android Market, Facebook contacts will no longer appear to be integrated with the Android Contacts app. Since Facebook contacts cannot be exported from the device, the appearance of integration created a false sense of data portability. Facebook contact data will continue to appear within the Facebook app." Google adds that all other Android developers, Facebook is free to use the Android contacts API to truly integrate contacts on the device, enabling users to retain greater control over their data.

Facebook is the second most popular application across the Android platform according to data issued last year by The Nielsen Company, with 51 percent of Android device owners accessing the social network each month. Only Google Maps ranks higher, with 67 percent of Android users accessing the app per month.

For more:
- read this CNet article

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