Facebook’s Android app has been subpar at best. That might be changing, however, as the company announced a new version, which it says will be available in the Android Market soon.

I don’t have access to it yet, so I can’t give you my own opinion on how much of an improvement it is, but Facebook says it’s faster, that photos are better, and that it’s easier to get messages and navigate around the app.

“Photos and albums are up to two times faster than the previous Android app. It’s also easier to share photos, view comments and edit captions on the go,” Keith Peiris says on the official Facebook blog.

“Your messages and notifications are now at the top of your screen. You can respond to friends and stay updated without leaving the page you’re on,” he explains. “You can quickly access your News Feed, Groups, games and apps from the new left-hand menu. The features you use most are now at your fingertips.”

It looks much more like the iPhone app they put out not too long ago.

A few responses from the comments of Facebook’s announcement:

“So glad, because the old version had so many issues.”

“It would help if you make this announcement after the update is actually in the market and ready for update!”

They don’t say exactly when it will become available. Hopefully it won’t take as long as the Timeline.