If this "it is only an app info" is true, it must make all those rumour mongers hang their heads in shame. After all, how many times does Mark Zuckerberg have to say that they aren't interested in making a smartphone? Lay off, people!
For all the rumours and “exclusives” about a “Facebook Phone”, there seems to be some new information that may prove otherwise. Android Police is claiming to have gotten its hands on the full system dump for the Facebook Home for Android software. And Ron Amadeo goes on to specify that “This is not an April Fool’s joke. I promise.”
Android Police says that the app dump came from an HTC device named Myst, locked on to the AT&T network. This is a fairly mid-range device going by the specs: MSM8960 processor, 1GB RAM, Android 4.1.2 and a 4.3-inch display with a 720p resolution. We have not heard anything about the Myst yet, to suggest a possible launch date.
The dump ends up revealing a new app from Facebook, with the codename “com.facebook.wakizashi”. The Facebook app that we have all come to love comes with the codename “com.facebook.katana”. In Japanese, a wakizashi is the smaller sword, which the samurai traditionally used along with the much longer katana.
This app has created new permissions in Android, which include the ability to open windows that stay on top of other windows, unlock screen, control the phone’s Wi-Fi, see what all other apps are running on the device and even access system settings. Essentially, Facebook wants your data, and if you end up running one of these on your phone, you will be giving it to them on a silver platter.
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Ron Amadeo also says that the app has read permissions for various launchers, including Touchwiz on Sony smartphones. He says that “having permissions for Touchwiz on an HTC phone is a dead giveaway that Facebook plans on releasing Facebook Home not just on this phone, but as a standalone app in the Play Store.”
“Chat Heads” is another new feature included in both Orca (Facebook Messenger) and the Wakizashi build, but no details on how this is different from Facebook Messenger.
While we are taking this with a pinch of salt, the evidence put forward by the website seems to be quite credible. With the Facebook official announcement just a couple of days away, such a leak would essentially mean this is either the final version, or close to being the final version of the app.
Source: Android Police