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Facebook shoves mobile web users toward the Messenger app
Remember when Facebook divorced instant messages from the main app and forced folks to download Messenger if they wanted a direct way to send quick missives while on the go? Well, the social network is doing something similar once again. Reports are floating about that people accessing their messages from the mobile web either isn't possible or that there are a few annoying obstacles in place.
Facebook intros diverse Messenger emojis for all platforms
Facebook has created brand new emojis for Messenger, redesigned its old ones and standardized them for all operating systems. The social network will begin rolling out 1,500 newly designed emojis tomorrow, which will show up the way you see them on your device no matter the recipient's platform. No more empty boxes taking their place if you're chatting with someone using another OS. Even better, the new graphics embrace diversity -- they include hand gestures and human faces in different skin colors, as well as images of same sex couples.
Facebook reportedly considering making Messenger more secure
Facebook Messenger could be getting a significant security update this summer. According to The Guardian, the Zuckerberg-led company is looking to implement end-to-end encryption for its messaging app, which has over 900 million monthly active users. The planned feature, which Facebook would neither confirm nor deny, would also be opt-in and not activated by default. The reasoning for that lies with Facebook's larger goals for Messenger: making it a smart, assistive app. Already, the company's rolled out a Bots for Messenger feature that allows users to engage with and order services from brands.
Why Google can't stop making messaging apps
Google has announced three new communication apps this week: Spaces, Allo and Duo. That's in addition to the three it already has. To understand why it's doing this, and why it'll do it again, we only need to look to its past.
Some YouTube users now have access to its in-app messenger
YouTube has developed an in-app messenger, and according to Wired, it's now rolling the feature out to small number of users. The video service's director of product management, Shimrit Ben-Yair, said they created the feature, because her team believes it would result to even more sharing. Messages remain in a separate tab that can be accessed anytime, giving people a quick way to toss links, say of an amusing music video or a Let's Play playthrough, to a whole group of people.
Facebook Messenger gets group calling with up to 50 friends
While Facebook is obsessed with bots, it's not the only new feature the company has been working on for Messenger. The app will soon be getting group calls which, as its name implies, allows you to have an audio-based conversation with multiple people. With the latest version of the Messenger app, it's just a matter of tapping the phone icon while you're inside a group chat. Once you've done this, Facebook will give you a secondary screen to manage the people on the call. TechCrunch reports that you can have a maximum of 50 friends on a single group call.
Here are all the Facebook Messenger bots we know about so far
While Facebook just announced its bots for Messenger platform today, it already has a few dozen developers lined up to take the plunge. If you downloaded the latest Messenger update today, then you're ready to get started with the CNN bot, a weather bot called Poncho, a Wall Street Journal bot, a bot for 1-800-Flowers and a few more. Here we've compiled a starter list of bots that are already available, plus ones that are slated to arrive in the next few months. You can also peruse the Messenger bot store on Botlist for more. (Props to Martin Hoffman for this public Google Doc of Known Bots).
Facebook's Messenger bots are a compelling alternative to apps
After several months of speculation, Facebook finally announced today that it would be officially integrating chatbots into Messenger. It's already started doing so with a few partners like Uber, Lyft and KLM, but today's announcement means that a lot more businesses are joining the party. And it's not just for customer support or tracking online orders -- though it can certainly be used for that too. These chatbots offer services that range from delivering top news stories to the local weather. In fact, two of its launch partners are a CNN and Poncho, a weather bot that masquerades as a friendly cat.
Chatbots arrive on Facebook Messenger
As we suspected, Facebook is indeed adding chatbot support to Messenger, and it's officially called "Bots for Messenger." It's not a surprise at this point, given that the latest Messenger update shows a "Bots and Businesses" section and that there have been rumors floating around about it for a week now. Still, Zuckerberg & Co. finally made it official. Facebook's CEO gave a demonstration onstage about how he ordered flowers from 1-800-Flowers just by sending a few messages to the company's chatbot. There was also a demo of a CNN bot that offered breaking news after sending a request.
Facebook Messenger's latest update hints at chatbots
At this point, it's a bit of an open secret that Facebook will announce the arrival of chatbots for Messenger at F8, its annual developer conference. Well, the latest Messenger update all but confirms it. If you were to do a search in the latest version of Facebook's chat app, you'll find a new category heading called "Bots and Businesses." Prior to the update, this would simply read "Businesses," which was a listing of companies that you could message for customer support and general inquiries. Messaging businesses typically involves speaking to a human, however, while talking to chatbots would likely be a more automated experience -- sort of like chatting to the equivalent of a phone tree. We've seen a few examples of this already. Uber and Lyft requests function similar to bots (especially if you're requesting updates), as does the recent KLM chatbot that lets you book flights with just a few keypresses. There've also been rumors that the chatbot experience isn't limited to just businesses either; we're hearing that publishers could get in on the Messenger chatbot train as well (get ready for breaking news via Messenger). Techcrunch reported last week that a Chat SDK of sorts have already been seeded out to a few developers that instructs them on how to build chatbots into Messenger, so we're guessing we'll find out more about how it all works at the F8 keynote later today at 10am PT / 1pm ET. Stay tuned.
Facebook makes finding your Messenger friends way easier
Facebook announced on Thursday that it is implementing three new features for its popular Messenger app. They're designed to make finding and connecting with other users easier. Specifically the company is rolling out "Messenger Usernames," "Messenger Links" and "Messenger Codes."
Newegg to offer customer support via Facebook Messenger
Ever since Facebook Messenger started allowing businesses to chat with their customers (and vice versa), it's been used as a means of customer support. A number of different companies have already started doing so -- Hyatt, Sprint, Zulily and Everlane among others. Now online e-commerce site Newegg is in on it too. The retailer said in a statement today that you can simply strike up a conversation with a representative via its Facebook Page. You can also just search for "Newegg" within Messenger.
Behind Facebook Messenger's plan to be an app platform
A year ago, Facebook announced at its F8 developer conference that Messenger would evolve into more than a simple chat app. For one thing, you'd be able to chat with businesses and stores to, say, get an update on an order or make reservations at a restaurant. But the big reveal was that Facebook was turning Messenger into a platform for other apps. The initial integration was with GIF keyboards and games, but fast-forward a year later and you can see the idea starting to take shape. You can now request an Uber or a Lyft right within Messenger or share a song with your chat buddy via Spotify. Soon you might even be able to book a flight or pay for store purchases -- all without leaving Messenger.
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.
Here's why the surface of Mercury is so dark
For years, scientists have wondered why Mercury is so dark. It doesn't have as much iron and titanium as the Moon, so it should be brighter. A team at Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory finally has the answer, though. Thanks to a spectral analysis of color images from NASA's Messenger probe, they've determined that carbon (specifically, graphite) is the probable culprit behind Mercury's dim look. Most likely, what you're seeing is the aftermath of the tiny planet growing up. As the young Mercury's magma ocean cooled 4.6 billion years ago, the graphite would have floated to the top and formed the original crust -- there just happens to be enough of it left to affect visibility.
Facebook Messenger simplifies tune sharing with Spotify
Facebook's Messenger already lets you hail Uber rides and talk to businesses, and now they've just added a new feature: Spotify integration. Instead of copying and pasting a Spotify link to your mates the old-fashioned way, you can now share your tunes right within Messenger itself. Hit the More tab, then Spotify and then select the songs you want to share. On the receiving end, if you get a Spotify link, you'll see an "Open" link that'll launch the app and the song straightaway. The feature should roll out to both iOS and Android apps starting today so get ready to bug your friends with your party mix.
Facebook Messenger for Android now supports multiple accounts
Though Facebook has been testing multiple account support for Messenger for awhile now, it's finally making the feature official starting today. As of the most recent update, Messenger users on Android can now switch from one account to another using a single device. You can add accounts to Messenger via a new Accounts section in Settings, and you don't need to be on Facebook in order sign in. If you're concerned about your family and friends reading your messages, there's a safeguard against that too. You'll be asked for your password the first time you switch accounts, and from there you can choose if you want it required all the time. Messages sent to a different account will prompt a new message notification, but that message will remain private until the account is switched over. If that sounds like a useful feature for your family, you can head over to Google Play to get the update right now.
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 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's WhatsApp messenger hits 1 billion monthly users
Last time WhatsApp crowed about its active monthly user count, it was a zero shy of where it is now: 1 billion. The outfit says that's almost one in seven people on Earth who use Facebook's $19 billion messaging application. The announcement says not to expect much to change with this notable milestone other than forthcoming improvements to speed and security, most notably, while aiming to get the other six billion of our neighbors using the platform. Just think, if the company hadn't dropped its $1 annual subscription fee, that'd be a relatively easy billion dollars a year in income -- and we all know just how cool that much money is.
