Facebook introduces new privacy settings for Messenger
Messenger’s “app lock” feature is now official.
Facebook Messenger will introduce new privacy controls that will give users the ability to limit who can send them messages. The app will soon begin testing new settings that will users “decide who can message or call you directly, who goes to your requests folder, and who can’t message or call you at all.”
The company notes the features are similar to those offered by Instagram, which added more fine-grained controls for messaging in December. Messenger will also experiment with a feature that automatically blurs images sent by users who aren’t already your Facebook friend — presumably because these are more likely to be spammy or otherwise inappropriate.
Messenger is also now making its “app lock” feature official. The update adds an extra layer of security to Messenger chats by allowing users to require face or fingerprint authentication before accessing messages. The feature is available now on iOS, and will be “coming soon” to Android.
