Facebook's News Feed will now load much faster on devices with slower data connections

Many of the people who are coming online everyday are residents in emerging markets, and much of the time, a 2G data connection is the fastest speed available in these regions. So in order to help more people become connected in an easier fashion, Facebook has developed an open-sourced Network Connection Class that will help the company determine how fast a certain user’s connection is. In turn, this will allow Facebook to determine which types of content show up in users’ News Feeds.

For example, if a phone has a slower internet connection and can’t load videos, News Feed will show you less videos and more status updates and links. And now with the new Network Connection Class, Facebook will begin retrieving more stories and photos while you’re reading your News Feed to make sure stories are always available as you keep scrolling.

The company explains:

If you are on a poor internet connection and your News Feed is loading slowly, we will first download the story you’re currently looking at, rather than download a series of News Feed stories. For example, if you are looking at a photo your friend posted or a photo from a Page you’ve liked, that isn’t fully downloaded, we prioritize that photo over loading a story below it that you aren’t currently looking at, so you can see the most important photos you’re viewing as quickly as possible.

Facebook is no stranger to making it easier for folks around the world to access their service. Last June, the company launched Facebook Lite, a lighter version of the standard Facebook app that weighs in at less than 1MB in size.