{"id":20108,"date":"2011-08-01T22:37:11","date_gmt":"2011-08-01T17:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=20108"},"modified":"2026-10-15T12:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T06:37:04","slug":"facebook-buttons-smartphones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook Phone: The Facebook Button Phones of 2011 and What to Use Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2011, phone makers thought the next big thing was a <strong>Facebook phone<\/strong>: a smartphone with its own dedicated Facebook button that shared your photos, videos and status updates in one press. Here is what those Facebook button phones were, what happened to them, and the simplest way to get one-tap Facebook on any phone in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-66872\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-phone-button-2026-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Facebook phone with a dedicated Facebook button\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-phone-button-2026-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-phone-button-2026-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-phone-button-2026-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-phone-button-2026-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-phone-button-2026.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Facebook phones such as the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa (2011) had a hardware Facebook button for one-touch sharing. They are long discontinued, and so is the later HTC First with Facebook Home. Today you don&#8217;t need a special phone: install the Facebook app or Facebook Lite on any Android phone or iPhone, put it on your home screen, and share from any app with the built-in share menu.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af1eafb797bc\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af1eafb797bc\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#What_was_a_Facebook_phone\" >What was a Facebook phone?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#HTC_ChaCha_and_HTC_Salsa\" >HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#Vodafone_555_Blue\" >Vodafone 555 Blue<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#What_happened_to_Facebook_button_phones\" >What happened to Facebook button phones?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#How_to_get_a_one-tap_Facebook_phone_experience_in_2026\" >How to get a one-tap Facebook phone experience in 2026<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#Do_you_need_a_special_phone_for_Facebook\" >Do you need a special phone for Facebook?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#Which_phones_had_a_Facebook_button\" >Which phones had a Facebook button?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#What_was_the_HTC_First_Facebook_phone\" >What was the HTC First Facebook phone?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#Can_I_still_buy_a_Facebook_phone\" >Can I still buy a Facebook phone?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/facebook-buttons-smartphones\/#How_do_I_share_photos_to_Facebook_in_one_tap\" >How do I share photos to Facebook in one tap?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_was_a_Facebook_phone\"><\/span>What was a Facebook phone?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In August 2011 I wrote about a new trend: modern mobile phones were shipping with a <strong>Facebook button<\/strong> that connected your Facebook account and let you share in one touch.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20112\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/htc-facebook-button.jpg\" alt=\"Dedicated Facebook button on an HTC ChaCha phone\" width=\"300\" height=\"124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/htc-facebook-button.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/htc-facebook-button-150x62.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"HTC_ChaCha_and_HTC_Salsa\"><\/span>HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa were Android smartphones with a dedicated Facebook button. If you snapped a photo or recorded a video, you could post it to Facebook with one button press. The button even glowed to nudge you to share.<\/p>\n<p>The ChaCha also came with Facebook widgets: a clock with a ticker of your Facebook updates, a calendar widget that remembered your friends&#8217; birthdays and events, and a Friend Stream widget to follow your favourite friends. You can still watch the launch videos: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AAyrZiFC2V4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HTC ChaCha first look<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LpYOrDa8HOs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HTC Salsa first look<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vodafone_555_Blue\"><\/span>Vodafone 555 Blue<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Vodafone was also quick to launch the Vodafone 555 Blue, a phone with a dedicated Facebook button. It promised access to your Facebook account in one click, with no separate app or login every time, so you could update your status and check your news feed and messages.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happened_to_Facebook_button_phones\"><\/span>What happened to Facebook button phones?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The dedicated button did not catch on. Smartphones moved to touchscreen apps, and the Facebook app itself became the one-tap way in, on every phone, without special hardware.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook tried again in 2013 with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/04\/download-facebook-home-app-buy-htc-first-facebook-phones\/\">Facebook Home and the HTC First<\/a>, a phone whose whole home screen was built around Facebook. It was much bigger than a single button, but it did not last either. None of these Facebook phones are sold today.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_get_a_one-tap_Facebook_phone_experience_in_2026\"><\/span>How to get a one-tap Facebook phone experience in 2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Any current smartphone can do what the Facebook button did, and more:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook app<\/a><\/strong>: install it from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and keep it on your home screen or dock for one-tap access.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Facebook Lite<\/strong>: a smaller, lighter version for older phones and slow connections. See how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/06\/download-facebook-lite\/\">download Facebook Lite<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Share menu<\/strong>: in your camera or gallery app, tap Share and choose Facebook to post a photo or video, just like the old button did.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Widgets and shortcuts<\/strong>: on Android you can add app widgets and shortcuts to the home screen, and on iPhone you can add widgets, so your most-used apps are always one tap away.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_you_need_a_special_phone_for_Facebook\"><\/span>Do you need a special phone for Facebook?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Facebook works on any Android phone or iPhone, and in any modern mobile web browser. Choose a phone for its camera, battery and software updates, not for a social media button.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_phones_had_a_Facebook_button\"><\/span>Which phones had a Facebook button?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The best known were the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa from 2011, and the Vodafone 555 Blue. All are long discontinued.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_was_the_HTC_First_Facebook_phone\"><\/span>What was the HTC First Facebook phone?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The HTC First (2013) came with Facebook Home preinstalled, a launcher that put Facebook on the home screen and lock screen. It was short-lived.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_still_buy_a_Facebook_phone\"><\/span>Can I still buy a Facebook phone?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Not new. Instead, install the Facebook or Facebook Lite app on any current smartphone.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_I_share_photos_to_Facebook_in_one_tap\"><\/span>How do I share photos to Facebook in one tap?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Open the photo in your gallery or camera app, tap Share, and pick Facebook from the list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2011, phone makers thought the next big thing was a Facebook phone: a smartphone with its own dedicated&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":66872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111,15],"tags":[95],"class_list":["post-20108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apps","category-gadgets","tag-videos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20108"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66875,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20108\/revisions\/66875"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}