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Facebook brings video calling to Messenger
Facebook is no stranger to video chat, but it's been keeping a low profile as of late. Well, it's no longer content to sit on the sidelines while Skype and Hangouts steal the show -- the company has just introduced video calling in Messenger. Whether you're using Android or iOS, you only need to tap a single button in an existing conversation to start a face-to-face session. The feature is available today in 18 countries (including the UK and the US), so give it a shot if you're a Facebook fan and would rather not fire up another app just to see who you're talking to.
Facebook Messenger brings fragmented communication to desktops
Wish you could have the Facebook Messenger experience somewhere other than your mobile device? Pine no more because now it's available on the web (it's a platform now, remember?). As Slashgear notes, it's essentially the app experience but living inside your browser. Simply head over to Messenger.com, sign in with your Facebook account and you're good to go. Folks who've been IM'ng from within Facebook proper will probably welcome the change, but if you're using a standalone client the likes of Adium on Mac or Pidgin on Windows you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Sadly, it doesn't look like one of the mobile version's cooler features -- chat heads -- have made the transition just yet.
Facebook Messenger will soon let you chat with stores
Facebook's Messenger won't just be for chatting with family and friends in the near future. The social network has unveiled a business feature for Messenger that lets you talk to a store about your orders. The option not only spares you from a flurry of email for receipts and shipping, but gives you an easy way to ask questions -- if you want to change your order or add something new, you just open up the existing conversation. In theory, you don't have to go through the hassles of calling or emailing customer service to solve a simple problem. The business effort will only start out with a handful of partners that includes Everlane, Zendesk and Zulily, but a sign-up program suggests that you'll see Messenger used at more online shops before long.
Why text when your phone can sing messages at your friends?
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344018{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344018, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344018{width:629px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344018").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Ditty might sound like Sean Combs' latest stage name, but in fact, it's a new messaging application that takes mundane text messages and turns them into a shareable video, with onscreen lyrics. The app, made by a company called Zya, is one of the few that can be used in concert with Facebook Messenger, which just opened up to third parties. In fact, the app was unveiled today during Facebook's own F8 developer conference.
Facebook's F8 app hints at big changes for Messenger
Typical. Just when you're about to unveil a new project at your own developer conference, the event's companion app breaks the news ahead of time. A notification from Facebook's F8 app, presumably scheduled for the 26th, went out early to inform conference attendees that the company was announcing two new initiatives: Parse for IoT and Messenger as a Platform.
Send money to your friends with Facebook Messenger
Using Facebook Messenger to chat amongst your pals? Well, now you can employ that same app to send funds, too. After hints dropped last fall, the social network announced its tool that sends money inside Messenger would roll out in the US in the months to come. To send a few bucks to someone who grabbed lunch when your forgot your debit card, just hit the appropriately-labeled "$" icon, enter the amount and hit pay. The currency is transferred immediately, but it'll take a couple of days to show up in the recipient's bank account -- similar to a regular ol' deposit.
Facebook Messenger adds voice transcription (for some)
Google Voice's transcription feature really comes in handy when when you're not in the position to listen to spoken messages. This news isn't about Google Voice, though -- it's about a similar (but experimental) transcription feature that has just arrived to select Facebook Messenger accounts. If you were lucky enough to be part of this small-scale test, you'll now be able to read voice messages you receive and send. Since the feature was released to a very limited number of people (Facebook's David Marcus didn't say if and when more users will get it) we still don't know how it compares to Google's version. But if they're just like each other, then we're bound to see some hilarious, botched transcriptions in the future.
Facebook thought about featuring games in Messenger
Love it or hate it, you have to use Facebook Messenger if you're to chat privately with your friends on the social network. As we know it, the application features a minimalist design and very straight-to-the-point functionality. That's all great, of course -- but, for better or worse, it could have been so much different. TechCrunch reports that Facebook quietly flirted with the idea of featuring games in the Messenger app, going as far as testing this out and, eventually, deciding against it. Instead, Facebook's EMEA Director of Platform Partnerships, Julien Codorniou, says the company opted for other ways to cash-in on the site's gaming ecosystem, like letting developers take full advantage of its mobile advertising platform. More specifically, through app install ads.
Code hints that Facebook Messenger will let you pay your friends
If you've ever had a Facebook friend in need of some money, you may soon have a way to pay them without much fuss. Stanford student Andrew Aude has shown off hidden code in Facebook Messenger's iOS app that will let you send funds much in the same way that you share a photo; you just have to add a payment card and a PIN code. The transaction is private and appears to be free at the moment, although it won't be surprising if Facebook eventually takes a small cut of each transfer.
Facebook Messenger's new trick brings doodles to your photos
Still looking for a reason to use Facebook's now-unbundled Messenger app? A new feature learns from competition including Snapchat and Facebook's own Slingshot by adding easy annotation on shared photos. Just click the picture icon like you normally do, then hit the edit button instead of send, and you can doodle with your finger (remember Draw Something? Is anyone still playing that?) or just type in some text before sending. Right now the tweak is Android-only, and should already be live if you're running the most recent version of the app.
Sound Off! Are you sticking with Facebook Messenger?
Facebook's Messenger app isn't new -- it's been around since 2011. It was up to users to decide if they wanted a separate app or if they liked exchanging messages inside the regular Facebook app. Now if users tap the message icon on Facebook, a message appears telling them to move over to Messenger. It's no longer an option; it's a requirement Facebook put in place to deliver "the best mobile messaging experience possible."
App security flaw makes your iPhone call without asking
If you're an iPhone user, you may want to be cautious about opening messages that contain phone numbers in the near future; they may cost you a lot of money. Developer Andrei Neculaesei notes that maliciously coded links in some apps will abuse the "tel" web handler (which covers dialing) to automatically make a phone call the moment you view a message. Potentially, an evildoer could force you to call an expensive toll number before you've had a chance to hang up. The exploit isn't limited to any one app or developer, either. Facebook Messenger, Gmail and Google+ all fall prey to the attack, and it's likely that other, less recognizable apps exhibit similar behavior. Apple's Safari browser will ask you before starting a call, but FaceTime's behavior lets you pull a similar (though not directly related) stunt.
Two ways to avoid using Facebook Messenger
Facebook's new Messenger app might not be the evil privacy destroyer some are claiming it is, but the app is still being forced on users whether they want it or not. Or is it? We've found two ways to keep using Facebook messaging on your phone without downloading Messenger, although both methods require a little bit of extra work on your part. The first comes courtesy of the The Guardian and is a workaround which will probably be fixed in upcoming Facebook app updates. Keep that in mind before staking your future on this workaround. Here it is: When the Facebook app refuses to show you your message and instead shows you the "come on download Messenger" screen, simply tap the install Messenger button, then quickly jump over to the App Store and cancel the download. The next time you reopen the Facebook app, the normal messaging service will work again. Of course that's a pain to do every time you restart your phone or whenever Facebook catches on and starts bugging you about the app again. If you don't feel like going through that process every time, there's only one other option available to you: the mobile browser. When visiting Facebook in Safari or your other web browser of choice, you are given the same functionality as using it on the web, only in a slightly more frustrating way. The mobile Facebook page's messaging option has an annoyingly small typing window that makes it difficult to write a message that's longer than a sentence or two. The lack of improvements in the Facebook mobile site seems purposeful; after all, why would the company fix issues that could annoy you into using its apps? It makes sense from a business standpoint even if it's not particularly user-friendly. If you're putting off installing and using Messenger as long as possible, these are currently your two best options for getting around it. We look forward to seeing how Facebook "fixes" these loopholes. Maybe someday you'll fire up your mobile browser only to be met with the end of messaging within. We certainly hope that won't be the case.
Facebook brings voice to its Windows Phone Messenger app
Facebook Messenger for Windows Phone hasn't always been quite as feature rich as its counterparts on other platforms -- it's just over five months old now, after all -- but the social giant is quickly trying to close that gap. Case in point: the latest Messenger update finally packs the ability to send voice messages, something users have apparently been clamoring over for ages now. Since you'll now have the ability to verbally chatter with your compadres (alas, there's still no proper voice calling), it's probably for the best that the update also comes with tweaks to reduce the amount of data the app consumes. Throw in the ability to fire off emoticons at your pals and you've got yourself this new build in a nutshell -- it's waiting in the Windows Store for you whenever you're ready to gab.
Facebook Messenger sorts notifications and voice replies with Android Wear
Thanks to a recent update, Facebook Messenger is the latest mobile app to play nice with Google's wrist initiative. Outfitting Android Wear smartwatches with notifications and the ability to respond with voice notes, Android Central reports alerts pop up on the wearable's screen where you can swipe to respond or tap to "like." The latest version of the app also allows you to give messages the ol' thumbs up and mute conversations right from your phone or tablet's notifications menu -- assuming you're still doing your chatting the old fashioned way.
Facebook is about to make everyone use the standalone Messenger app
It's been coming coming, but Facebook told TechCrunch today that the time is just about here -- starting "over the next few days" everyone will need Messenger to chat directly with their Facebook friends on mobile devices (iOS, Android and Windows Phone). Some users in Europe have seen the change for several months, but Facebook claims their positive response has led to the change rolling out worldwide. Of course, not everyone is going to be happy about downloading a second app to do what one was already capable of -- just ask Foursquare users about Swarm. Facebook says the change will let it focus its development efforts better on the two apps separately, and "avoid confusion" by users, who send about 12 billion messages a day on the platform. So, are you already in love with Chat Heads and ready to make the swap full-time, or -- assuming you still use Facebook -- is this the final straw in sending you elsewhere for your communication needs?
Facebook Messenger gets a native iPad version
Facebook Messenger makes the most sense on a phone, but plenty of people still want to chat on their tablets -- and apparently, Facebook knows it. The social network has just updated Messenger for iOS to support the iPad, letting you carry on a conversation without having to either dig through chats in the main Facebook app or rely on third-party titles. The iPad interface mostly behaves like a super-sized version of what you see on an iPhone, although you miss out on a handful of recent feature additions, like tap-and-hold video capture and the split-screen selfie mode. There's no corresponding native interface for Android tablets just yet, although the iPad refresh suggests that one might be on the horizon.
Facebook app ditches chat, moves to a standalone Messenger
Facebook has been testing new features inside its standalone Messenger app for months, and now the social network is pulling the chat feature from its primary offering. The outfit has included messaging functionality in its main apps for some time now, but late last year, Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would eventually pull the plug. For a few months now, users that have both apps installed have been linked out to the Messenger software when accessing chat in the regular ol' version. The switch will take place over the next two weeks, and TechCrunch reports that Facebook has begun notifying users of the change. "The reason why we're doing that is we found that having it as a second-class thing inside the Facebook app makes it so there's more friction to replying to messages, so we would rather have people be using a more focused experience for that," Zuckerberg told TechCrunch in November. This means you'll have to download that Messenger app if you want to keep that direct line of communication open with your Facebook pals, unless you have an Android device that can't run it, use the mobile site or keep your talks confined to the outfit's Paper reader.
Facebook Messenger for Android lets you pin chats right to your home screen
Facebook's big-spending CEO presumably has a grand plan for Messenger, now that he's gone to such great lengths to own WhatsApp. For the time being though, his company is continuing to focus on subtle but useful changes to its homemade apps, with the Android version of Messenger just receiving an update to version 4.0. In line with the last week's iOS update, one of biggest new features is the ability to bunch your friends into groups and then pin these gatherings to a dedicated Groups tab, so you can quickly bombard the right people all at once. Unlike iOS, however, you can now also add a shortcut to any group or conversation directly from your Android home screen, letting you open up a floating chat head with a single tap, with no need to navigate through the app. That's the sort of convenience that reminds us why a dedicated Facebook phone was always so unnecessary.
Facebook Messenger on iOS expands to include groups and forwarding
Remember when Facebook bought and then shut down Beluga back in 2011? Well, almost three years later, Zuck's finally putting features from his first group-messaging-app purchase to use. The latest update to Messenger on iOS lets you group contacts together however you'd like, and spam 'em with animal stickers (or texts) en masse. Along with the typical stability fixes and speed improvements, the change log notes that you can now forward messages and photos to users that aren't in your current conversation too -- pretty much the opposite of Snapchat.
