Facebook recently released a brand new app for Events. A feature that was once only accessible through the standard Facebook app and website, Events now stands completely on its own. The focus is on events your friends are going to, events in your neighborhood and just general programs and functions that would interest you personally.
After spending a bit of time with it, I’ve come to thoroughly appreciate the Events app. What seemed like an odd move at first now makes more sense to me than Messenger as a separate app. Here are some reasons you should totally get on board with Facebook’s newest baby.
Discovery of What’s Happening Around You is Unparalleled
My favorite part about downloading Facebook Events is that it taught me just how ignorant I am of all the exciting events taking place around me. There are fundraisers for charities, open mic nights, local concerts, reading clubs, drag shows and so much more. Next time you feel like you live in a boring neighborhood with nothing to do, open up Events and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
On top of that, the integration with Facebook is key to getting out. I can see at a glance which events my friends are attending or at least interested in attending. This provides an opportunity to start up a conversation and make some plans. I find it slightly charming that a social network, something that often keeps us inside, promotes going out in this way.
Sure, this is possible on Facebook too, but events often get lost in the News Feed. I can’t browse solely by events unless I’m on the Events page, and clicking that isn’t nearly as instinctual as opening an app is. The organization of the standalone app is better too.
Facebook Events are Tailored to Your Interests
When you first launch Facebook Events, you get to choose which categories of events you’re most interested in seeing. This doesn’t mean that others won’t show up here and there — they will — but it helps surface and highlight what’s relevant to you. The categories are wide and long: music, food, sports, art, comedy, spirituality, nightlife, networking are just some.
Aside from seeing what your friends are doing, you can essentially browse events three ways: by time, map, or category. You can choose events today, tomorrow, this weekend, next week, etc. and even specify if you’re looking for something late night. You can also view events scattered on a local map with their category icons as their pins. Otherwise, just pick a category you’re interested in to see what’s up.
It works quite well and I appreciate that Facebook divides the events like this.
Avoid Your Facebook News Feed
I hate this is actually one of my favorite features of the Facebook Events app, but I’m just keeping it real. Sometimes the Facebook News Feed can be a downright chore to scroll through. People are either sharing memes, political opinions, live videos, or stuff no one in their right mind would actually care about. So it’s nice that I can finally access nearby events for what I do care about without the noise of the News Feed mixed in. Maybe that’s less of a feature and more of a lack thereof, but I stand by it.
If you like the connectivity that having a Facebook account enables without the burden of Facebook itself, Events (and Messenger for that matter) is a great app to have. It’s refreshing making plans to socialize in the outside world sometimes.
Integration with iCloud Calendars
In addition to Facebook Events acting as a social tool, it can also act as a productivity tool. The app includes a dedicated Calendar tab that lists all of your upcoming Facebook Events, including what you’re interested in attending. But it’s more than that; this tab can integrate with all of your other iCloud calendars too. If you set up the iCloud access, you can see all of your regular events and appointments in line with what’s happening through Facebook.
To set this up, tap the Settings icon at the top of the Calendar tab in Facebook Events. Tap Choose Calendars, then Access Calendars to grant the app permission to view them. From there, just select which iCloud calendars you want to see alongside your Facebook events.
If you’re big on using Facebook Events, you might want to consider using the app as your primary calendar. It has nearly the same interface as Apple’s stock Calendar app and works quite nicely. That said, Apple’s Calendar app is far from the best one around.
