Facebook finally bestows Graph Search on Brits as UK roll-out begins

Facebook finally bestows its Graph Search engine on Brits as UK roll-out begins
You can search for 'pictures of your friends before 1999'

Facebook has been banging on about its Graph Search engine since January, so it's about time the social network gave some folks outside the United States the opportunity to see what all the fuss is about.

Graph Search, which displaces the current search bar with a larger, more functional one, is rolling out for UK English users over the next few weeks, starting today.

The new engine helps users call up content like 'Photos I have liked,' or 'Restaurants my friends have been to' or 'people who like music that I like' among a multitude of other things.

The whole idea is to allow users to revisit their Facebook history, browse their connections quickly and easily, make new connections and call on the local knowledge of their Facebook friends.

A huge feat?

"Graph Search for UK English is one of several global products developed in part at Facebook's London engineering office, which opened just over a year ago – and it's a huge feat," wrote Facebook engineer Ian Hegerty on the company blog.

"Not only does Graph Search make sense of information about millions of users, but searches are different for everyone and change all the time. So if you're looking for holiday ideas using "photos of my friends in Spain" – it'll update all the time as more of your friends share their trip photos."

Are you seeing the new Graph Search bar over at the Facebook.com website yet? Give it a spin and let us know if it has instantly changed your life in the comments section below.

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.