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Facebook preps in-store purchases for Messenger
Facebook already lets you send money to friends through its Messenger app, but it appears the social network has much loftier ambitions for financial transactions. The Information reports that Menlo Park is preparing to offer its chat app as another way to pay for things thanks to a feature for in-store purchases. Based on code for the iOS app, Facebook is working on a way for you to use Messenger to pay for goods in person. As The Information notes, this would put Zuckerberg & Co. in the mobile payments fray that includes Apple Pay, Android Pay and several others.
Lyft wants you to hail rides through Facebook Messenger
You can already request an Uber car through Facebook Messenger, but what if you prefer to get around in Lyft cars? Don't worry, you're covered. The mustachioed ridesharing outfit has released a public programming toolkit that lets developers integrate Lyft features into virtually any app, with Facebook Messenger being the lead partner. If you happen to live in one of 11 launch cities (including Austin, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC), you can now use Messenger to ask for a ride in between chats with your friends. The feature will be available to all Messenger users in the US next week.
Get ready for ads in Facebook Messenger
If you've been chatting with businesses via Facebook Messenger, don't be too surprised if they start sending you ads in the near future. A leaked document obtained by TechCrunch apparently says that users who've voluntarily messaged a company could open themselves up to the spam as early as this April. Note the "voluntarily" bit there. From the sounds of it, Facebook is going to be working pretty hard to ensure that the incoming messages are actually welcome, lest you get annoyed and uninstall the app.
Facebook Messenger lets you send a heart-wrapped Valentine
To add to today's Valentine's Day celebrations, you can now send a fun little Valentine-themed missive to your friends via Facebook Messenger. For today only, you can choose to wrap up your message -- be it text, sticker or GIF -- in a little present simply by selecting the heart with the arrow next to the compose field. When your loved one sees it, they can tap the heart-wrapped box and it'll burst into a flurry of hearts as the message is revealed (You'll see we chose an adorable otter sticker here). It's pretty cute, though it probably won't be enough to salvage you if you still haven't booked your dinner reservations.
Facebook is testing SMS, multiple accounts in Messenger
Facebook has slowly beefed up its Messenger offering over the past year, with not only the ability to send payments and hail Uber rides, but also the addition of an AI-inspired personal assistant (or at least the promise of). Now it looks like Messenger will have a couple of other features added in the near future: the integration of SMS plus support for multiple accounts. It was first seen on Android Police but we've since received confirmation from Facebook that the company is indeed testing these new features.
Facebook Messenger has a hidden chess game
It's no secret that you can use Facebook Messenger for a whole lot more than just chatting with pals, but there's still a surprise or two in store. Social networkers have discovered that Messenger has a hidden chess game (quietly available for a least a month before now) that you invoke by typing "@fbchess play" when you're in a conversation. Just don't expect an intuitive interface -- you have to use text commands for everything, so you'd better brush up on your standard chess notation. If you can live with that, though, it's a free and easy way to improve your strategic thinking when you're not busy sending stickers.
Snapchat leak hints at a bid to fight Facebook Messenger
Snapchat has had features like live video calls for a while, but you almost wouldn't know it from the interface -- it's still built around those one-at-a-time photo and video messages. However, there are hints that Snapchat is giving its design a much-needed makeover. Leaked screenshots from Snapprefs' developers purport to show a hidden "ChatV2" interface where audio and video chat are obvious and easily accessible -- you'd always know when you could make a live call. There's also a revamped text chat interface that lets you send the stickers that have been all the rage in other messaging apps.
Facebook is reportedly making a Messenger app for Mac
Desktop messaging apps haven't gotten much attention lately. Sure, you continue to see mainstays like Skype, but the big chat services still tend to steer you toward websites. That might be changing shortly, however. A TechCrunch tipster has provided both an image and details of what looks like a native, pre-release Facebook Messenger app for the Mac. It's really the iOS app writ large, but it suggests that Facebook might be willing to return to the desktop after its relatively brief, ill-fated experiment with a Windows app years ago.
Facebook brings Uber rides to Messenger
In the near future, you might not have to interrupt that Facebook Messenger chat to hail a ride home. Facebook has announced Transportation on Messenger, which integrates ride-hailing services into its communications app. To no one's surprise, Uber is the first partner -- you can order a ride entirely within Messenger, and you'll get things like receipts and status updates as conversations. The transport platform is still in testing in certain parts of the US, but other areas and countries are coming soon.
Facebook at Work rolls out a dedicated chat app on Android
Facebook at Work caters to businesses, allowing employees to communicate and share documents on private channels, and this week it adds a new mobile feature called Work Chat. Work Chat is a separate messaging app that operates similarly to the standard Facebook Messenger service, though it's restricted to you and your coworkers only. It's available to select companies on Android now, with an iOS launch in the works, TechCrunch reports. Facebook at Work is still in beta, though TechCrunch says about 300 companies use it daily, from Heineken USA to the Royal Bank of Scotland. When it launches for all businesses next year, it'll use a "freemium" model, the site reports.
Facebook tests Snapchat-like self-destructing messages
Some Facebook users in France have spotted a new feature in the Messenger app. They're seeing an hourglass in the top-right corner of a conversation that when tapped sets messages to self-destruct in one hour's time. Facebook says that it's testing this new feature in France and might roll it out to everybody if users embrace it. If this all feels a little familiar, that's probably because it's very similar to Facebook's own Slingshot app. And if that seemed familiar, that's because it was a pretty direct take on what Snapchat has been doing since it launched in 2011. Facebook attempted to buy Snapchat in 2013 for a rumoured $3 billion dollars, but Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel refused the offer. So it seems like Facebook has adopted the mentality that if you can't buy them, beat them.
Facebook Photo Magic asks you to send pics to photographed friends
Facebook is testing out Photo Magic, a new facial-recognition feature that prompts users to send photos via Messenger directly to the people in the shots. The test hits Australia today on Android, with an iOS rollout planned for later this week. Photo Magic uses the same tech as Facebook's Moments and tag-suggestion features, and for your friends to receive photos of themselves, they need to have Moments installed, Verge reports. When you open the updated Messenger app, it'll scan your smartphone's camera roll (after you give it permission to do so) and select a snap that features you and some Facebook friends. You can then send it to those folks with one tap; Messenger will open up a new group thread if there are multiple people in the shot. After that, if you take a photo with some Facebook buddies, Messenger will offer the option to send it right to them. Of course, users can opt out of facial recognition in Facebook's settings page. Photo Magic should make its way to countries outside of Australia within a few months. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
Facebook 'M' makes Messenger your personal assistant
Remember that talk of Facebook testing its own virtual assistant? Well, it's real. The social network is trying out M, an artificial intelligence-powered Messenger assistant that can answer questions and complete tasks. You can ask it for advice on places to go, for instance, or have it make travel arrangements. Think of it as a Siri- or Cortana-like helper that exists solely in text chat. It should be less likely to make mistakes, though, as Facebook is quick to note that there are humans training and supervising the AI behind the scenes. And in case you're wondering, it only bases its conversations around Messenger -- it's not using your regular Facebook data to make decisions.
Facebook testing its own virtual assistant, 'Moneypenny'
It sounds like Siri, Cortana and the entity known only as Google Now could get some competition. Facebook is launching a virtual assistant of its own, according to The Information, and James Bond fans might smile when they hear what Zuckerberg and Co. are calling it. Moneypenny is a feature that lives within the social network's Messenger app and it'll apparently let you ask real people for help with stuff. Exactly what? The Information's sources say research and shopping. And that's about it. A release date wasn't given and details are otherwise pretty non-existent. Perhaps the function being a part of Messenger will help it avoid a fate similar to the Home or Poke apps.
Facebook Messenger's money-sending tool arrives for all US users
When it first announced plans to let you send money to your pals in its Messenger app, Facebook said the feature would roll out in the States in the coming months. Well, the time has come. After flipping the switch for folks in New York City and the surrounding areas in late May, the social network is letting users in the rest of the US beam funds to friends, too. To leverage the currency tool, you'll need to link a debit card before money can be transferred from your bank account to a recipient. For added security, you'll have to input a PIN before each transaction and iPhone/iPad users can employ Touch ID to verify their identity. And all of the transferred data travels via an encrypted connection. Messenger may not be your first choice to reimburse someone for concert tickets or for picking up your tab, but if you use the app to chat with friends or family, it could come in handy.
Facebook Messenger no longer needs a Facebook account
Facebook wants as many people using Messenger as possible... and after today, that includes people who aren't using Facebook at all. Anyone in the US, Canada, Peru and Venezuela can now sign up for Messenger without using a Facebook account. You only need to provide your phone number to get started -- after that, the mobile app can create an ad hoc friends list based on your contacts. The social network would still prefer that you enlist using one of its accounts, of course, but this lets you stay in touch with friends without registering for a service that you can't (or just don't want to) use.
Facebook Messenger only shares your location when you tell it to
Sharing your location with the person you're chatting with in Facebook Messenger isn't a new feature, but the way its done has changed... thankfully. The app no longer shares your location by default, nixing the stalkerish function that updated folks on your friends list with your movements. Instead, Messenger only sends that info when you tell it to. By tapping on a map pin, those details can be sent as a separate message in a chat window. The app places a small map in your convo as its own note, pointing to either your current spot or a rendezvous point for future reference.
Creepy Chrome extension shows where FB messages come from
Even though Facebook's mobile Messenger specifically tells you that it tracks your location data the first time you install the app (and every time you start a new conversation), most folks don't realize how often and how accurately it actually does so. In fact, the app pings your location each time you send a text. And with this new Chrome extension, you'll be able to see exactly where your contacts have been messaging you from -- without their knowledge or consent.
Facebook Messenger's pay-your-friends feature reaches New York City
Facebook has been cautious about rolling out Messenger payments in the US so far, but it just opened them up in a big way. The feature now works for anyone in New York City and the surrounding areas, so you can cover your share of that SoHo pizza when a chat buddy brings it up. The software itself is a little more helpful, too -- it'll automatically link dollar amounts to help you pay them faster, and you can pay individual friends within group discussions. It'll be a while before you can sling cash to any Facebook user you like, but that day is at least getting closer.
Facebook wants to put games in Messenger after all
Contrary to previous reports, it appears Facebook is still toying with the idea of featuring games in Messenger. According to The Information, the social network plans to strengthen its instant messaging platform by adding games, as it looks to find a fresh, more lucrative source of revenue. Facebook's already said to be working with developers to roll this out; Ilya Sukhar, an executive leading the project, confirmed the talks to the news outlet, though he didn't specify when we could see the changes take place. While you wait for that to happen, keep enjoying your GIFs, emojis and all the other tidbits Facebook's chat ecosystem has to offer at the moment.
