This is what the new rocket icon on Facebook app does

Facebook has not commented on the development yet

Recently, Facebook users in different countries have spotted a rocket-shaped icon right next to the main news feed icon on their mobile app.



The basic function of the icon which tends to disappear and reappear every now and then is to show you popular posts from people and pages that you haven't befriended or liked.

PHOTO COURTESY: STAN SCHROEDER/MASHABLE

While it is still unclear how Facebook decides what should appear under that feature, one of the possibilities is that it might be showing users' posts that are popular near their region as it mostly shows local content. Some users have also reported seeing posts related to their interests, so it might not be totally random.

PHOTO COURTESY: STAN SCHROEDER/MASHABLE

There are some striking resemblances between the new rocket feed and Facebook-owned Instagram’s Explorer tab that shows users posts that according to the company's algorithms might be off your interests.



The feed is slightly different on Android and iOS devices. Unlike on Android devices where the layout is same as regular news feed, on iPhone the new feed is labelled ‘Explored’ and has kind of a magazine look to it and shows two news items laid out side by side.

PHOTO COURTESY: MASHABLE

This is not the first time Facebook is testing a different type of news feed on small group of selected users. Earlier, it tested a different news feed which shows stories clustered around specific topics.

Facebook has not commented on the development.

This article originally appeared on Mashable