facebook messenger
Latest
A closer look at the redesigned Facebook app
Out of all the announcements Facebook made at its F8 2019 developers conference, one of the most important was the redesign of its core smartphone app. The new application, which has been updated with what Facebook is calling the "FB5" version, is now cleaner, faster and puts Groups front and center. And, as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "The app isn't even blue anymore." That's the first thing you'll notice when you check out the new app, which is rolling out to users starting today. If you use Messenger, the white-covered design of the FB5 Facebook app will feel quite familiar.
All the important stuff from Facebook’s F8 keynote
Facebook hosted the opening keynote for its annual developer's conference today and announced several updates to its main social network as well as Instagram, Whatsapp and Messenger. Privacy seems to be the name of the game this year, as Facebook tries to rehab its damaged reputation and regain the trust of its users. Only time will tell if Facebook made any progress today.
Facebook Messenger is getting faster, lighter and more secure in 2019
Facebook Messenger has undergone a lot of changes in the past few months. With Messenger 4, for example, it did away with clutter by going from nine tabs to four, and simplified the interface so it was easier to send a photo and start a video call. It also introduced dark mode, threaded replies, and a ten-minute unsend window. At F8 2019, Facebook's annual developer conference, the company announced there would be even more changes coming to Messenger in 2019. New features include a more lightweight app, a dedicated area for close friends and family, a "watch party" feature, a desktop app, and end-to-end encryption.
Facebook Messenger gets threaded replies
Facebook is making it a bit easier to keep track of who's talking to who in a busy group chat. It's rolling out a thread feature for Messenger that lets you reply to specific messages (including media and emoji). If you ask an important question, you won't have to scroll through chat to see if someone answered it. You only have to long-press on a message to start a response.
Messenger is the first Facebook app to get dark mode
Days after Facebook Messenger's dark mode was outed on Reddit, the social network has made the update official for iOS and Android. For now, you can only enable it by sending the crescent moon emoji in an existing chat thread or new message. It's a clever ploy by Facebook to get users actively chatting -- instead of simply activating the mode via settings -- at a time when it's facing increased competition from rivals like TikTok. Messenger is also the first of Facebook's social apps (which span its eponymous social network, Instagram and WhatsApp) to officially get a dark theme. "Messenger's dark mode provides lower brightness while maintaining contrast and vibrancy," Facebook writes in its blog post. "Dark mode cuts down the glare from your phone for use in low light situations, so you can use the Messenger features you love no matter when or where you are." It's promising to make the feature accessible via the settings tab in the near future. Facebook first announced Dark Mode in October as part of the Messenger 4 update, which it said would roll out in phases. The overhaul primarily focussed on decluttering the app by reducing the amount of tabs from nine to three, including the Chats tab for all your conversations, the People tab where you can see who's online and the Discover tab for connecting you with businesses. Last month, Messenger also introduced the option to unsend messages during a 10-minute window.
Facebook Messenger's money transfer tool is heading to the UK
Back in 2015, Facebook introduced the ability to send money to friends through Messenger and now it has brought that capability to UK users. It's the first time Facebook has launched the feature outside of the US.
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.
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 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.
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."
The Facebook Messenger switch: annoying, but not evil
If you use the Facebook iOS app, you've probably noticed that the social network's private SMS-like Messenger functionality is migrating out of the "mother" application and into the standalone Facebook Messenger app (currently at version 9.1). Messenger's solo app has been around for a couple of years already, but Facebook is now reminding users more insistently that they need Messenger (or the mobile browser version of Facebook) if they want to keep using the IM functionality on their phones. This nudging-slash-feature shifting is understandably annoying for many users, but it's not, despite what many people on the internet would like you to believe, out-and-out evil. A combination of out-of-date intel and overall paranoia is getting folks worked up unnecessarily. What's more, the most scary "Facebook is eating my data" warnings don't apply to iOS users at all -- they're Android-specific, and are only as scary as they are because Google insists that apps "pre-declare" anything they might want to do. [One particular point of confusion is the assertion that Messenger may be listening to all your conversations, or trying to figure out what music is playing in the background while you use the app, all to better target you for advertising. The good news is, Messenger doesn't listen to your music. The less good news: the regular Facebook app may listen, for 15 seconds while you are writing a status update, in order to share the song you're enjoying with your FB buddies. The better news: the feature is entirely optional, and you can disable it easily. To sum up: "passive listening" has nothing to do with Messenger and is not a reason to hate or fear the app. If you want to turn off the microphone features in Messenger anyway, instructions are right here. –Ed.] Much of the anxiety/anger is focused on the app's terms and conditions, which (particularly on the Android side; less so on iOS) ask you to give Facebook access to basically everything on your phone. Here's the thing: if you already use Facebook, you've probably given the company access to all of that stuff already. Still, in the absence of context, the Android permissions do sound pretty Big Brotherish. Here's a sampling: Allows the app to call phone numbers without your intervention. This may result in unexpected charges or calls. Malicious apps may cost you money by making calls without your confirmation. Allows the app to send SMS messages. This may result in unexpected charges. Malicious apps may cost you money by sending messages without your confirmation. Allows the app to record audio with microphone. This permission allows the app to record audio at any time without your confirmation. Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera. This permission allows the app to use the camera at any time without your confirmation. That sounds pretty bad, especially that part about recording audio without asking first. What possible motive could they have for asking for that? Well, we'd ask Facebook, but they've already explained in the help page for Messenger. Here's why they include that permission, and why the Android version of the app is simply playing by Google's rules for declaring its capabilities. Why is the Messenger app requesting permission to access features on my Android phone or tablet? If you install the Messenger app, you should see a screen letting you know that the app is asking for your permission to access information or use features from your Android phone or tablet. Almost all apps need certain permissions to run on Android, and we use these permissions to run features in the app. Keep in mind that Android controls the way the permissions are named, and the way they're named doesn't necessarily reflect the way the Messenger app and other apps use them. Below, you'll find a list of some of the permissions we request for the app, as well as an example of how we use each one. Note that this list doesn't include all of the Android permissions we request or all of our uses of those permissions. If you've already installed the Messenger app, you can find a list of the permissions the app uses in your phone or tablet's Applications Manager, or by visiting the Play Store and clicking View Details under Permissions. Android permission (what you'll see on your Android phone or tablet) and examples of what we use this permission for: Take pictures and videos: This permission allows you to take photos and videos within the Messenger app to easily send to your friends and other contacts Record audio: This permission allows you to send voice messages, make free voice calls, and send videos within Messenger Directly call phone numbers: This permission allows you to call a Messenger contact by tapping on the person's phone number, found in a menu within your message thread with the person Receive text messages (SMS): If you add a phone number to your Messenger account, this allows you to confirm your phone number by finding the confirmation code that we send via text message Read your contacts: This permission allows you to add your phone contacts as Messenger contacts if you choose to do so. You can always stop syncing your phone contacts by going to your Messenger settings Facebook is a company that is facing increasing public scrutiny, in no small part because it has conducted thought experiments on users. As society starts to finally think about the implications of handing over all of our personal information to the social media companies we use day to day, it's good that we're asking these questions. The important thing is to look to verifiable sources explaining what's going on. Yes, Facebook asks for access to your personal information with their new app. However, given the granular permission settings on iOS, you can easily prevent Facebook Messenger from accessing your address book, using your microphone, or checking your location. If you don't need a feature, and turning it off would be better for your own sense of security, then don't enable it. Dislike Facebook for shoehorning users into a new app they may not want, but don't buy into the myth that this is a new expansion of FB's information grabbing. They've been gobbling your private information this whole time. That's one of the tradeoffs of using the service. For more information on what Facebook's apps do and don't do with your personal information, check out this handy summary at Snopes, this AndroidCentral rundown and this cogent writeup at the Wall Street Journal's tech blog. Post updated 8/10 10 am to clarify Android v. iOS permission warnings.
Oh look, everyone hates Facebook Messenger
For a massive technology company, Facebook is surprisingly dumb about apps. It has had far more flops than successful ventures when it comes to smartphone software -- in fact, the default Facebook app is just about the only one that has been able to make a go of things. In a feeble attempt at spinning off social network messaging into a standalone concept, Facebook now forces users to make use of its Messenger app, rather than choosing between it and the built-in messaging client in the primary app. The resulting bloodbath of negative reviews isn't surprising. File this one under "You could have spotted it from a mile away." Here is the overall U.S. rating breakdown of Facebook Messenger from its launch three years ago through today: Plenty of happy folks, right? Here are the ratings since Facebook made Messenger the mandatory messaging client: I've seen this massive blowback written off under the guise of users hating change. No, users don't hate change, they hate meaningless change. As someone who used the Facebook app to send messages on a daily basis, I can tell you it worked flawlessly and made going from my news feed to one-on-one conversations a breeze. Now there are two apps. That's two apps that push notifications to me about my friends, two apps that allow me to connect with the exact same people, and two apps that could potentially break down or house a serious security glitch that isn't yet known. That isn't progress. On Facebook's end, the company essentially doubles up on the number of app installs it can boast about. Messenger has gone from #18 to #1 on the overall app downloads chart in a matter of days, so the strategy is clearly paying off, but how long can Facebook continue to make obnoxious decisions like this before it becomes too much? It's been said that if you're not paying for something, you are the product. If that's true, shouldn't Facebook be doing its best to keep its products happy? It seems not.
The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for July 29, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. Be sure that your podcast software is set up to subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Facebook Messenger gets overhauled for iOS 7, adds phone number support
Facebook just dropped Facebook Messenger 3.0 into the App Store and it's the most radical makeover to the app since its inception. Besides the simplified, flat interface and new iOS 7-style look and feel, Facebook Messenger 3.0 adds several new features including the ability to see which friends are using the app and, most notably, phone number support. Now you can text your phone contacts even when they're not among your Facebook friends. You can also find new Facebook contacts just by entering a phone number. The latest update will no doubt unnerve traditional carriers as apps like Facebook Messenger and the latest Google Hangouts are encroaching on services that were once the domain of cellular providers. Facebook Messenger 3.0 is a free download.
Firefox 23 brings built-in sharing and mixed content blocking to desktop browser
Mozilla released Firefox 23 today, and the update brings some interesting new features for sharing and security. Fans of Firefox's existing social media sidebar, which integrates various sites like Facebook to the side of your screen, will enjoy the new improvements that have been made for sharing. Now users can share directly from the sidebar without having to leave their current page. If you're in the middle of reading an article on Rolling Stone, for example, this new feature will allow you to post about it to your Facebook, Cliqz or other social pages without leaving the site. At the moment the service only works with Facebook Messenger for Firefox and Cliqz, but more providers will be added when they start using the social API. On the security front, version 23 adds mixed-content blocking to Firefox's security measures. The setting is enabled by default and helps prevent man-in-the-middle attacks while visiting HTTPS sites. When you visit an HTTPS site that also loads assets from a HTTP site, the browser will block scripts running on those sites. Users can turn the setting off for individual sites, or completely if they so choose -- it's a nice addition for security-minded web surfers. You can find the complete changelog for version 23 over here. It's available as a free download over at Mozilla's site.
Facebook brings free VoIP calling to Android users in the US
Not content to own your phone's home screen, Facebook is bringing free VoIP calling to users of its Home and Android Messenger apps in the US. The social network's VoIP for iOS has been available in the US for a few months now, and Android users are already enjoying the service in 23 other countries, including Canada. Stateside, the VoIP for Android will roll out over the course of the day, and it shouldn't require a manual update; users will know they have the new VoIP feature if they can click the "i" icon on a friend's profile and then select "free call." From Chat Heads, starting a call requires tapping the "more info" dots next to a friend's name to jump into the Messenger app. [Image credit: Gizmodo]
Facebook Messenger for iOS gets VoIP in the UK today
A little over a month ago, Facebook added Voice over IP (VoIP) calling capabilities to its iOS app for users in the US and Canada. Now users in the UK have been added to the gradual rollout of Facebook's VoIP domination of the universe. The VoIP capability works through Facebook Messenger, both in the Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps. After selecting a chat recipient in the app, tapping the Contact Info button (the "i" in the upper right corner of the app) displays information about the recipient including a Free Call button if they're able to accept a call. Both parties need to be online within the app for the Free Call button to be active. The calls don't use voice minutes or rack up expensive long-distance charges; instead, it chews up your data plan megabytes instead if you're on a 3G/4G network.
Firefox begins testing Social API with Facebook Messenger, here's how you can take part
You live a fast-paced life, and you don't have time to stop your high-speed internet surfing just to check up on Suzie's latest Facebook update. Mozilla understands your plight, digital denizen, and its "Social API" is here to help -- Firefox browser users can beta test Facebook's Messenger functionality right this minute, should they be able to pause for long enough to get it set up. Thankfully, that setup isn't too strenuous, requiring little more than the latest beta version of the Firefox browser and an opt-in to the Social API program (via Facebook). Mozilla's promising more social service integration as the beta rolls on ("soon"), but for now you can more readily stay in touch with Suzie at least, right?
Facebook Messenger 2.0 for iPhone brings new design to conversations, swipe left for friends list
Facebook debuted the new look of its dedicated Messenger app on Android last week and and just as promised, now it's available on the iPhone as well. Facebook Messenger 2.0 brings a new SMS-style bubble layout to conversations, a swipe left gesture to reveal one's friends list and the ability to push the friends you message most to the top of the list. As mentioned along with the Android update this is a part of a new release schedule cycle that should see updates arriving every 4 - 8 weeks. That means you can mark your calendar for the next refresh if this is your social network of choice, but for now just grab the latest version from iTunes.
Facebook Messenger for BlackBerry reaches App World, sates compulsive chatters
If you own a BlackBerry, it might not have been immediately apparent that Facebook Messenger has been an option since October; unlike with Android or iOS, you had to track down the download on Facebook's website. We don't know why it's been kept out of a more accessible channel, but that ends today with Facebook's chat-focused app arriving on BlackBerry App World like most any other title. There don't appear to be any new tricks included with the expanded availability, although we'd say that the wider exposure is enough of a highlight for an audience that just needs to get by until BlackBerry 10. Those who don't use BBM for all their instant messaging can find what they need at the source link.
