Facebook Unifies Messenger and Instagram Direct Messaging Experiences

Around a month after Facebook began quietly merging its Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, the transition has been officially launched, with a full rollout to all users soon to follow.

IG Upsell 1UP

As a result of the merging of the chat services, Instagram users can chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform. Features previously only available on Facebook Messenger can now be accessed in Instagram, including colorful chats, more emoji reactions, and swipe-to-reply. In addition, the regular paper airplane DM icon in the top-right corner of the Instagram UI has been replaced by the Facebook Messenger logo.

The move is part of Facebook's long-term plan to merge Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp chat platforms. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly wants all the apps to incorporate WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption and put a new focus on user privacy.

The company hopes that unifying its messaging infrastructure will help to keep its billions of users engaged in the Facebook ecosystem, in an attempt to ward off rival messaging services such as Apple's iMessage.

Last week, Facebook began lobbying Apple for an option to make its Messenger service the default messaging app on iOS, arguing that now users can select a third-party app as the default browser and email app, it is unfair to exclude messaging apps.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

LeadingHeat Avatar
56 months ago
Deleted Instagram yesterday and Facebook has been gone for months. It took a bit of time to adjust (literally found myself opening my phone and swiping on the Home Screen pages mindlessly then locking it again.. scary how addicted you can get to your phone).

It feels so refreshing to get out of social media. I have so much more time in my day now.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TonyC28 Avatar
56 months ago
If I’m Facebook I wouldn’t want my spy algorithms having to work on two different apps. Makes sense to unify them.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
David11 Avatar
56 months ago
If they merge WhatsApp then I’m done
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SaxPlayer Avatar
56 months ago
I massively distrust Facebook but I do use Instagram, hypocrite that I am. The more they force "Facebook" down my throat as an IG user the more I realise that I can't pretend that it's not part of their ecosystem. I see the day approaching when I'll be, reluctantly, deleting IG.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gplusplus Avatar
56 months ago
Forcing intentionally separate accounts together is NOT a move toward user privacy. It’s a move toward better data collection.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jprmercado Avatar
56 months ago
The empire is consolidating itself.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)