The current desktop app, which is a port from iOS, was last updated on July 13, 2018. At almost 18 months since the last update, it’s clear Facebook isn’t willing to dedicate the resources to keep it up to date. The move to a PWA should mean more frequent updates. PWAs are more lightweight and devs can push updates more easily. However, it’s currently unclear whether some features will make it over. The Windows 10 version has additions like AR camera filters, text creation, and right-click upload from Explorer. Theoretically, many of those things should be possible. However, with Facebook failing to maintain its current app, it’s who knows if it’ll be willing to commit the resources to make it work, and it doesn’t seem they’ll be there at launch. The other major concern is messaging. The current app features Instagram Direct, and screenshots from ALumia seem to indicate that the new one won’t at launch. Though the OSMeta app has issues, some would prefer messaging and easy photo upload over a speedy PWA. We’ll just have to wait and see if Facebook manages to get that feature ready for the supposed rollout this month. Either way, Microsoft has been pushing PWAs quite heavily for the past year or so, through its web browser, Outlook app, and dev tools. It’ll be thankful that big companies like Facebook are getting on board considering its previous difficulties with app gaps.
