Facebook makes Messenger easier to use for social butterflies
New Messenger home screen shows who’s active, messages and your favorite groups.
First it added stickers, then it was games. Now, Facebook's latest Messenger update simply aims to make the popular app even easier to use. Starting today, the chat service is getting a bit of a makeover, introducing a few subtle tweaks to Messenger's home screen in a bid to make it more user-friendly.
The service is now split into three tabs, letting users instantly access their messages, see which friends are 'Active now' and lastly, go straight into their favorite Groups. As well as this top level organization, the update also introduces a new bottom bar, which has tabs for home, calls, camera, people and games. A red dot next to one of these tabs will indicate that someone's tried to reach you, meaning that users on the go can easily see who's communicating with them through Messenger, and by which method. Given all the new features Facebook has crammed into Messenger recently, this much needed tidier UI is definitely a welcome addition.
While not exactly groundbreaking, this update looks to do one thing that everyone can appreciate -- save you time. Yet, with various concerns arising over how Facebook handles users' privacy, you might want to be careful about how much you want to say through Messenger. The update's come at a good time for the company, as Facebook is dealing with a bit of a legal headache at the moment. Still, what's the small matter of being fined €110 million by the EU compared to introducing a totally sick new Messenger home screen?
