Facebook

Facebook is updating its Android application with a few goodies designed to entertain audiences of its standard app and Home software.

The new version of Facebook for Android, rolling out to people on a gradual basis, animates some stickers -- aka the character-driven emoji available in messages -- and adds music controls to the lock screen for people running the social network's suite of services on their Android smartphone.

While relatively minor, the sticker animation piece adds some parity between Facebook's Android, iPhone, and Web messaging services. Stickers are part of the social network's push to keep hit mobile messaging apps like WhatsApp at bay.

The music additive means that Home users will see tracks that they're listening to displayed on their Cover Feed, and can pause or skip to the next song right from the lock screen. Music controls also work for people just using Cover Feed, a Home-less option Facebook introduced at the beginning of August.

The Home improvement is a testament to Facebook's ongoing commitment to improving the software suite, which has been panned by some for taking over their Android device. Facebook Home, once paraded as the social network's next-gen mobile interface, hasn't exactly lived up to expectations, and though the company has sidelined major launches, it's clearly not abandoning the project.