Facebook is debuting a new app called Paper that is intended to encourage users to read longer-form content in a magazine-like format.
Similar to Flipboard, Feedly and Zite, the app will be released for the iPhone on Feb. 3, CNN reported. Other versions will likely follow.
Facebook is hoping to get members to linger over longer-form Facebook content, including both news stories and posts from friends.
"Paper makes storytelling more beautiful with an immersive design and fullscreen, distraction-free layouts," Facebook said in a post. "We've also made it easier to craft and share beautiful stories of your own."
Users can follow various interests based on Paper's themed sections and can customize the app with such topics as photography, sports, food, science and more.
"Each section includes a rich mix of content from emerging voices and well-known publications," Facebook said.
Paper's News Feed section will have a new design, and all the app's pages will be touch-responsive so users can easily move through stories or zoom in on photos with the flick of a finger.
While the app will have a mix of news stories and content from other Facebook users, it should be simple to distinguish which is which.
"Beautifully detailed covers make it easy to spot articles from trusted publishers and decide what to read or watch," Facebook said in the post. "Articles unfold in the app and appear fullscreen for a focused reading experience."
When users want to post their own longer-form written content or a photo, they will be able to see exactly what it will look like with a live preview.
Paper is the debut app from Facebook Creative Labs, which was formed solely to develop new mobile apps for the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company.
The news app could mean big money for Facebook, which reported Wednesday that 945 million of its 1.2 billion users accessed the site through a smartphone or tablet in the last few months, according to CNN. Mobile use accounts for 53 percent of the site's advertising revenue, a jump from 23 percent in 2012.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
