Despite being downloaded more than 500,000 times from Google Play since launch, Facebook Home has been given a cool reception by reviewers.

The average rating for the Facebook Home app, reviewed by more than 11,000 users, is a lowly 2.2 out of 5. Nearly 6,000 reviewers gave Facebook Home a meager one-star rating.

Common complaints about Facebook Home are that it takes up too much battery power, uses up too much data and removes valuable Android features such as notifications.

“It destroys everything Android users hold dear about their phones. No widgets, no wallpaper, no customising. What were they thinking?” is one reviewer’s assessment Mobile World Live came across.

“My battery was draining so fast. Within 3 hours I was at 66 per cent (was at 91 per cent),” is another.

There are still many Facebook enthusiasts who love the app. Just under 2,000 reviewers gave Facebook Home a thumbs-up five-star rating.

However, not all five-star reviews were uncritical. “I would love to have all my notifications appear on my lock screen,” said one. “Maybe you can like have a list of all the apps and have us give permission to which apps we want notifications for.”

For its part, Facebook says it will update the app on a monthly basis.

Facebook Home is currently available on four smartphones: HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2.