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Facebook will put ads in Home for Android, just not at launch

Facebook will put ads in Home for Android, just not at launch

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Facebook has often been coy about its monetization strategies, but the company has confirmed that ads will be coming to Home for Android, the launcher it debuted today. "There are no ads in this yet, I'm sure that one day there will be," said Mark Zuckerberg when asked about how Facebook Home would make money. Another member of the team clarified that ads would be coming to Cover Feed, though they won't be there when the app launches on April 12th.

Zuckerberg responded more directly to a further question: "Yup!" he said when asked again whether people might see ads in cover feed. He described ads as another type of content, along with the friend updates and news Facebook has been trying to put front and center with its recent updates. That's not out of line with what Facebook currently does, but unlike with a dedicated app, putting ads in Cover Feed means you'd see promotions for apps or businesses directly on your phone's home screen and lock screen. And unlike Amazon, which partially subsidizes its Kindles with advertising, Facebook won't be knocking any money off the price of a phone.