The removal includes players’ Facebook profile pictures from Facebook will no longer be used. More importantly, its removal also means that PS4 owners will no longer be able to search for friends on the PSN via their official Facebook accounts.
Facebook integration was a feature available as a Day-1 launch for the PS4. According to Kotaku, a Facebook spokesperson mentioned that Facebook is still working with Sony to finalise an updated contract regarding the integration with the PS4 system. On the other hand, Sony did not provide any explanation prior to the removal of the Facebook app on its console. Speculations suggest that the removal was due to Facebook choosing to restrict third-party companies from using its users’ data; an issue that it has been addressing since 2018.
On another note, Sony’s PS4 7.0 firmware update is coming this week, and is expected to bring improvements to the console’s Party Feature. As well as bring Remote Play support to non-Xperia smartphones running Android 5.0 or later. About time, if you ask us. (Source: PlayStation via Polygon, Kotaku // Images: Sony)