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Facebook makes Messenger easier to use for social butterflies
First it added stickers, then it was games. Now, Facebook's latest Messenger update simply aims to make the popular app even easier to use. Starting today, the chat service is getting a bit of a makeover, introducing a few subtle tweaks to Messenger's home screen in a bid to make it more user-friendly. The service is now split into three tabs, letting users instantly access their messages, see which friends are 'Active now' and lastly, go straight into their favorite Groups. As well as this top level organization, the update also introduces a new bottom bar, which has tabs for home, calls, camera, people and games. A red dot next to one of these tabs will indicate that someone's tried to reach you, meaning that users on the go can easily see who's communicating with them through Messenger, and by which method. Given all the new features Facebook has crammed into Messenger recently, this much needed tidier UI is definitely a welcome addition.
Facebook taps the Trevor Project to prevent LGBTQ youth suicides
Until Facebook has AIs that can detect suicidal ideation from users' posts or the expressions of their faces on video, the social network will continue adding more suicide prevention tools. It even teamed up with a number of crisis and mental health organizations to provide support over its Messenger app. Now, the company has announced that The Trevor Project will also be on Messenger to serve as a suicide hotline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or questioning/queer youth. Teens might have Snapchat and Instagram, but some surveys show they haven't abandoned Facebook altogether -- the social network's partnership with The Trevor Project could help save lives.
Opera's new browser comes with WhatsApp and Messenger built in
Thanks to add-ons and extensions, modern browsers are capable of much more than just accessing websites. However, unless you know what you're looking for, finding useful tools isn't necessarily easy. Instead of relying solely on its extension marketplace, Opera hopes to claw back market share from Google Chrome by incorporating additional features into its eponymous software. We've already seen it roll out low-power mode and a fully-featured VPN, but now it's making things a lot more social by integrating messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger and Telegram into its sidebar.
Facebook is serious about playing games on Messenger
Facebook has rolled out plenty of games on its Messenger platform over the years, but it's ready to deploy even more. Today, the company has announced that it's expanding the reach of Instant Games to even more users around the world. Additionally, the company is now ready to launch the richer gameplay features it first announced at F8 a couple of weeks ago. Think: turn-based games, leaderboards and tournaments. Depending on the title, you could even see the occasional "game bot" pop up to either cheer you on or notify you of additional options.
Facebook's Messenger Lite expands to 100 more countries
From the text-only Facebook Zero way back in 2010, to more recent Project Aquila, Mark Zuckerberg and company have made it clear that reaching the developing world is a huge priority for the company. So there was little surprise when it announced Facebook Lite and Messenger Lite, which offer stripped-down, low-bandwidth versions of Facebook's two main products for users in emerging markets with spotty service and expensive data rates. After officially launching in just five countries last year, Facebook is now expanding the rollout of Messenger Lite to over 100 additional countries.
Facebook sprinkles GIFs everywhere with Giphy
Facebook is bloated. It's slowly morphing into the iTunes of the social media world. At F8, the company's annual developers' conference, the company added even more features to its core apps and said that many more are on the way. But there's one partnership that makes the increasingly confusing social network a bit more fun: Giphy in nearly everything.
Watch Facebook's F8 keynote in under 10 minutes
If there was still any question why Facebook paid all of that money for Oculus, today's F8 keynote provided some extra explanation. From AR to social VR and more, the company laid out its plan for the immediate future that involves blending the virtual world with real life. If you missed the hour-long talk earlier today, don't fret: We've compiled all the big news in a 10-minute clip. Click here to catch up on the latest news from F8 2017!
Spin your yacht rock playlist from Spotify in Facebook Messenger
If you want to listen to Run the Jewels in Facebook Messenger, you'll totally be able to do that. From the F8 stage, Facebook's David Marcus announced that soon you'll be able to share tracks from both Apple Music and Spotify within the app -- all without the need to have either of the music streaming services installed on your phone. Marcus' example? RTJ's ode to El-P's and Killer Mike's significant others, "Stay Gold" from Run the Jewels 3.
Facebook's latest Messenger makeover is all about business
Last week, Facebook announced that Messenger now has 1.2 billion monthly users, making it one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. With so many users on its platform, it's no surprise that businesses have been clamoring to be on Messenger as well. At last count, 60 million businesses are on Facebook, and 80 percent of them have messaging enabled. The idea is that be it with a real-life human or a simple chatbot, the direct Messenger conversations between businesses and consumers will make users' lives "more seamless and fun." With Messenger Platform 2.0, Facebook hopes to realize this even further with a new Discovery tab, chat extensions, smart replies, an AI-driven delivery service and more.
Facebook brings group payments to Messenger
Two years ago, Facebook introduced a feature on Messenger that allowed you to send money to your friends and vice versa. That's great if you only need to pay one person, but not so convenient if you have a bunch of people you need to divide a restaurant check with. Today, however, Facebook introduced a new group payments feature on Messenger that makes it easier to either pay a bunch of people at once, or to request them to pay you.
Facebook's AI assistant is ready to hang out in Messenger
A couple of years ago, Facebook introduced M, an AI-powered personal assistant for Messenger. The idea behind M is that you could ask it to do pretty much anything -- book flights, cancel your cable service and even find a plumber -- and it'll do it for you, with the occasional help from human beings. It was rolled out to just a small test market of users in San Francisco, but we've not heard much about it since then. Until now. Today, Facebook has announced that a version of M will finally be available to all Messenger users in the US. It's called "M suggestions," and it'll essentially pop up at certain points of your Messenger conversation to recommend related content or features.
Facebook Messenger can share your location in real time
Plenty of messenger and map apps let you share your location with friends. iOS has its "Find My Friends" app and you can share your location through iMessage, while Hangouts similarly lets you share where you're at with friends. And that's just first-party app solutions. But now one of the biggest third-part messengers out there lets you show your exact location to contacts for a full 60 minutes.
Facebook adds more familiar features to Messenger chats
Facebook has a habit of copping features from other apps and dropping them into Messenger, so the addition of message reactions and @-mentions in the social network's marquee messaging app was probably inevitable as the company slowly merges features across it's products. Like iMessage, Slack and regular old Facebook comment threads, you can now react to individual messages or tag a friend to get their attention in group chats.
Facebook comments are headed for a Messenger-like makeover
In order to keep people coming back, Facebook regularly debuts new features for small sets of users. Newsfeed posts, videos and Messenger have all regularly been experimented on, but the humble comments section has largely stayed the same over the past decade. That could be set to change, however, after BuzzFeed News confirmed that the social network is testing a new mobile layout that styles comments to look more like text messages.
Facebook apes Snapchat Stories again for Messenger
Facebook has copied Snapchat's Stories feature not just once, twice, or thrice, but four times now its latest app. Messenger Day has launched worldwide today after a limited test. Much like other Facebook versions, you can build a slideshow with decorated videos and photos, and share it with contacts before it disappears after 24 hours. The app takes advantage of the Messenger camera that includes special effects, text, art, stickers and more.
Parking ticket chat bot now helps refugees claim asylum
Joshua Browder's chat bot lawyer, DoNotPay, is clearly multi-talented -- after getting people out of parking fines, it's now helping refugees find a home in a new country. Browder has adapted the AI to offer aid to asylum seekers in the US and Canada, and asylum support in the UK. The Facebook Messenger bot turns the asylum application process into a series of simple questions. Once you've finished, you'll have a filled form ready to go. Refugees in the UK still have to apply in person, but those in the US and Canada are largely set once they've finished the conversation.
Facebook Messenger bots are going to get a lot more verbose
Facebook's next updates for Messenger have a big focus on bots. Yep, Zuck is still trying to make "fetch" happen with those. Anyhow, the newest bits for the platform are mostly about letting others know that a bit of text originated from. That means from a shared bit of bot text will allow you to start a conversation with said bot from your existing conversation window. Even if you're using Messenger from desktop. In addition to a bunch of other developer-centric notes is word that the bot text limit has been doubled. So yeah, jumping from 320 characters to 640 means that the bots are about to get a lot more chatty.
Facebook tries adding reactions to Messenger chats
Facebook's reactions are thriving in your News Feed, and it now looks like the company wants to spread them to Messenger, too. The social network has confirmed to TechCrunch that it's testing the ability to add reactions to individual messages, much as you would with stickers in Apple's iMessage system or Slack's team chats. The experiment has all the icons you'd expect from conventional Facebook posts (five emotions plus a thumbs-up), but also a thumbs-down -- this is the closest you may get to that mythical Facebook "dislike" button. This would help tally up votes for a place to eat, for example, or share your response if you're a little late to reply with text.
Facebook starts testing ads in Messenger
It was only a matter of time before Facebook Messenger would start testing ads, after rumors of its plans to do so leaked nearly a year ago. Earlier today, it announced that users in Australia and Thailand will begin seeing sponsored content in the coming weeks, with the experiment being labeled as a way "for people and brands to engage on Messenger." What this means, really, is that you and your friends should expect to see targeted ads in the app soon -- which won't be hard to miss, judging by the image above.
Facebook Messenger gets a new camera with special effects
Facebook definitely isn't depending solely on Instagram to take on Snapchat. It's introducing an upgraded camera in Facebook Messenger that promises to not only be simpler, but help you spruce up your shots with Snapchat-style effects. The camera is quicker to access wherever you are in the messaging app, and shooting video is just a matter of holding down the conspicuously-placed shutter button. And the effects? You can now add 3D masks and special effects, such as turning yourself into a holiday-appropriate reindeer or adding a prop. There's also a new picker that helps you find "thousands" of art objects and effects.
