Facebook SDK 3.0 for Android and Native Login

Today we’re taking the Facebook SDK 3.0 for Android out of beta. The beta SDK has been downloaded over 80,000 times in six weeks, and we’re excited to release the fully supported version.

The new SDK makes it easier to build social Android apps by providing native UI controls, simplifying session management, and improving API support.

Native Login and other UI controls

We’re including more native UI controls in our SDKs to help developers quickly build common features and give Facebook users a consistent experience. This release includes:

• Native Facebook Login lets people authorize permissions without leaving your app, creating a fast, seamless login experience for users.
• Friend Picker lets people tag friends in an Open Graph action or find other people who installed your app.
• Places Picker shows nearby places with customizable locations.
• Profile Picture control shows the profile picture for any Facebook object, including people, places and things.

These controls are designed to be faster and more efficient than the previous web-based dialogs.

Easier session management

This release includes several tools that simplify authentication and authorization, including a Login Button and Fragment that manage login state automatically.

Better Facebook API support

We've added strongly typed callbacks and built-in helpers for common operations like posting a photo. The SDK now also supports batch API calls, which can speed up the performance of Facebook integrated Android apps.

Mobile install measurement

With the Facebook SDK 3.0 for Android, you can measure clicks and installs for mobile app install ads, a new and effective way to grow your mobile app.

The latest version of the SDK is backwards compatible for all apps that have integrated SDK 2.0 or higher. Developers should move to SDK 3.0 by June 13, 2013, at which time we will end support for issues with SDK 2.0. If you have any issues, please add the tag “facebook-android-sdk” to questions on StackOverflow and file bugs using the bug tool.

Learn how to get started with the Facebook SDK for Android v3.0.