Facebook’s Graph Search Expands To All US English Users

Facebook is opening up its Facebook Graph Search beta to all accounts that use US English.

In an announcement today, Facebook says the expansion is underway now and will continue over the next few weeks. You’ll know you have Graph Search access when you see the new search box above.

Facebook first launched Graph Search back in January to an extremely small number of beta users. (The “beta” label is sticking now, even as Graph Search rolls out to all US English account holders.) Based on that six months of testing and feedback, Facebook is touting several improvements:

• Speed: Graph Search shows suggested potential searches and search results more quickly
• Understanding queries: there are more ways of asking questions today
• Relevant results: Graph Search is better today at displaying the most relevant results first
• Interface: the search box is easier to see and use

Graph Search still lacks a few important features, though: searching through posts and comments. Facebook says it’s working on both of those, and also working on rolling out Graph Search to mobile devices — that’s where the nearby/places searches will be most handy for users.

During the expansion, Facebook will also show all users an alert in the upper right of the home page letting them know that Graph Search is rolling out more widely and reminding them to check their sharing settings. Facebook provided the screenshot at right showing the alert.

Results in Graph Search are limited to content and activity that’s been shared with the person doing the searching. I might see photos in my search results that friends have shared with me, but others won’t be able to see those same photos if they weren’t posted publicly.

The move comes about seven months since Graph Search first launched, and there’s been some changes to it since that happened. For more about that, see our companion story, Facebook’s Graph Search Then & Now: What’s Changed.